A Time For Hope
by tamelaine
Summary: Bella, a shy, loving young woman joins the Peace Corps in an attempt to help as much as she can. She is assigned to work with a partner in establishing a medical clinic in rural Uganda. In a land of upheaval, poverty and despair, can love prevail?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The characters all belong to Stephenie Meyer**

BPOV

"Isabella Marie Swan, please tell me you are not serious!" my mother wailed frantically into the phone. "You're not going to just uproot your life and move to a country filled with dangerous rebels and diseases for two whole years. I will not allow it!"

I knew I had to head this off before my mom got even more dramatic. "Mom, you really don't have a say in it anymore. I am 22 now and it's time I start choosing my own path in life. You know I was perfectly safe when I went on my study abroad before. This is slightly different, but it will be a good experience and a good thing to put on my job resume' someday. Besides, I want to help people anyway I can and this is something I am passionate about. I know I am doing the right thing, and all I am asking for is your support."

She sighed, but after a moment's silence, replied. "Fine, Bella. I can see your mind is already made up and no amount of pleading will change it. You've always been so stubborn. Go follow your dreams, but make sure that you stay safe and come home to us. I love you and I am proud of the decision you are making, but something like this isn't always a thing a mom is prepared to hear."

"Thanks, mom. I love you and I promise I'll stay in touch."

"You'd better or I will have to fly over there and come get you." I giggled thinking of my mom sitting on an airplane for 10 hours as she flew across the continent. She wouldn't be able to sit still and would probably drive the other passengers crazy. "Have you told your father, young lady?" her voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Yeah, I already told him. It's something I've talked about doing for so long and so he wasn't very surprised." He had been expecting it, but he was still surprised and worried. I could just imagine his thoughts as he contemplated sending his daughter so far away from home all alone. While I could sympathize, it would hardly change my mind.

My best friend Jake felt the same way. He'd even offered to come with me, but I couldn't let him put his life on hold and leave school and his family to come with me. His girlfriend Lily certainly wouldn't thank me either. She and Jake shared a special closeness and I couldn't come between them. Jake and I had been friends since we were toddlers, and we too shared a special friendship. I knew he would do anything for me, and I for him, but I couldn't allow him to do this. I repeatedly explained to him that I would be safe and there would be no need to worry.

About six months ago, I had applied to join the Peace Corps. When I was in the college of nursing at WSU, I was invited to go on a study abroad to Africa. I had accepted and it had been the most eye opening experience of my life. Somehow, I couldn't forget those amazing people and the trials they had gone through, yet the hope and love that they continued to have. To say the experience changed my life would not be an exaggeration. From then on, I had a desire to help suffering people in any way I could and set my sights on the Peace Corps once I graduated.

As soon as the diploma was in my hand, I'd completed the necessary requirements and sent out my application. Though the process was grueling, it was worth it, and in the end, though I had never expected to be able to return to Africa, that was indeed where I was being sent. I was even more surprised that they were in Uganda, the exact same country I had gone on my study abroad to, although I was being sent to a different area. I would be the nurse in a small clinic to a young doctor who was also a Peace Corps volunteer. The clinic would be located in a small village outside Kitgum. I knew it was a rebel hot spot, and it would be dangerous, but I couldn't bring myself to feel the appropriate fear. I'd seen the documentary called Invisible Children**, **and had the fortune to talk to many of the survivors while there before. I knew that I just had to do something to help these people in some way. The people had so much to deal with in their lives, medical care was the least I could bring them.

All I knew of Dr. Edward Cullen was his name, but I realized he must be an extraordinary person to give up time establishing his medical career to volunteer to help people in need of his services. From what I could gather from my recruiter, he had barely finished his residency and handed in his application. This man already had my respect. I hoped he would prove to be as kind hearted and sincere as I already imagined him.

EPOV

"Are you sure you have everything you need, son?" My dad asked as we loaded my luggage into the car. We were paying extra to have as many medical supplies flown out with me as we could, so we far exceeded the international flight limits of two 50 pound bags per person. We could have shipped it over, but there was no guarantee that it would ever have reached there. Flying with it was the best option.

I knew my father was proud of me. He was a doctor himself, and I had followed in his footsteps because of all the good I'd seen him do throughout my formative years. I desired so much to be like him, a compassionate, gentle, but passion driven man that would always be there for people in need.

Because of our financial situation, I was lucky enough to be in the position where I could volunteer my time for the next two years with only a minimum compensation. I did not need to worry about the crippling student loans that so many medical students graduate with. In fact, I was quite young to have completed all my schooling and my residency. At 26, I knew I seemed quite inexperienced to most patients at first glance, but I earned their trust quickly with my proficiency and knowledge.

I was a bit apprehensive about the situation I was headed into. Being the only doctor around for miles and having to make all the decisions and diagnoses was a bit intimidating. It would also be heartbreaking, I was sure. I was headed into a country that a few years ago had the highest number of children orphaned by AIDS in the world. Not only that, but there were so many other diseases and illnesses to contend with. It would be a difficult and emotional time, I was sure. I only hoped that the nurse who was assigned to work in the clinic would be proficient and well able to handle what we would be facing.

I had to admit, I was curious about her. The only thing I knew about her was her name--Isabella Swan--and that she was brave enough to leave her family and friends and go to a war torn country for two years by herself. Since we are assigned to live with one another for safety, I knew I would be getting to know her fairly well. I hoped that she was a person that was a person strong enough to handle the heartbreak we would be seeing, but also someone who would be sensitive enough to love the people and truly immerse herself in their culture.

I was excited to meet her and get to know her. We were meeting in London's Heathrow airport, and our flights arrived within minutes of one another so we had plans to spend our long layovers getting to know one another. We had a total of 15 hours in London, and I intended for us to make the most of it.

My mom and dad walked me to the gates. My mom had tears in her eyes, as I'd expected she would. I knew this was hard for her, but I was glad that she would still have my brother and sister to keep her company while I was gone. "Be safe, and write home often," she whispered as she gave me a hug goodbye, "I'll see you in two years. Tell this Isabella to take good care of you."

My dad had different advice for me. "Make sure you don't drink the water unless it is boiled," he warned, and then continued with a softer tone, "I know that you'll do fine and I'm so proud of you. Maybe I'll come over in a few months and see how you're doing. Don't forget that I love you." He gave me a long hug followed by a few pats on the back.

"Bye mom and dad. Tell Alice and Emmett I love them, will you?" They were away at school and I hadn't been able to say goodbye in person. "And I'll let you know when I arrive," I called out as I walked off, struggling to hold in my tears as well. We were a very close family and the thought of going two years without seeing one another was hard to take.

As I boarded my plane, I couldn't help take a quick look out. This was the last time I would be in this country for two years. I had so many feelings going through me I was almost overwhelmed. Fear, excitement, nervousness, and joy that I was finally realizing my life long dream. I settled in my seat to go over the Luo and Lugandan language dictionaries I had managed to acquire. I knew that Luo would be the most common language where I was going, but Lugandan would be useful as it was the most used language in the capital city of Kampala.

BPOV

I walked frantically through the Heathrow airport, terrified that i was lost. Who knew that an airport could be so confusing. I had turned to go down a small hallway and it ended up literally going down. It wasn't stairs, but it did spiral down and it was hard to keep my luggage on the trolley. Luckily, it was only my carry on items and I had checked the rest of my luggage all the way to Uganda, or that trolley would have gone down by itself taking other pedestrians out in the process. I sighed in relief as I reached the bottom. Now, if I could only find the way to the place to buy the tube tickets, I would be in business. Unfortunately, I had grossly misjudged my ability to follow directions and I feared I was hopelessly lost. It would be a miracle if I could even find the gate for my flight within the next 15 hours and not miss it.

Finally, up ahead I spotted the sign I'd been looking for and almost jumped for joy. I had found it! I was going the right way after all. I almost raced to the small ticket machines before my common sense got the better of me. I had a tendency to take my exuberance to far. Edward and I had planned on meeting here and I didn't want his first impression to be of a lunatic running the unsuspecting pedestrians down with her trolley. I calmly walked forwards, but stopped in my tracks as I spotted a tall, auburn haired man leaning against a pole nearby. Instinctively, I knew this was him. He was incredibly gorgeous with his messy hair, jeans, and tight polo shirt. His body was incredible and I felt a funny feeling I had never felt before go through me when I looked at him. I was unsure of his eye color, but I was about to find that out. He had spotted me, and was coming towards me with intent. I was not easy to miss with the bright orange t-shirt I was wearing. It was our way of finding one another in this crowded airport when we had never met.

"Isabella, I assume?" he said in a rich tenor tone as he reached me. His voice sent shivers down my back. How I was going to live for two years with such a man, I had no idea.

"Edward. I am so glad that I found you. This airport is so confusing. Oh, please call me Bella." I rambled on. I was a bit nervous and tended to chatter in those situations.

He looked a bit taken aback by my talking. "Let's go find a place to take care of our bags and then I'll show you London. You said you've never been here before right?"

"Oh, I have, just not out of the airport. I was here once before, not that you could tell since I have already managed to get lost today. We didn't have much of a layover and went directly from one flight to the next. I wanted to go sightseeing so bad, but it just didn't happen. Do you think we can see Buckingham Palace and maybe ride a double decker bus? I've always dreamed of that."

By this point, Edward was looking at me with wide eyes. They were a deep green, almost emerald color and they matched everything else that was beautiful about him. I couldn't stop myself from talking so much, I was just too excited to be finally on my way and meeting the man I would be working with for the next couple of years. "Um, sure. I think we can manage that. I've only been here a few times myself and wasn't the one following the directions, so I hope we can find it. I think I can promise you a ride on a double decker at the very least. Let's go exchange our money for some pound notes and have fun!" he answered.

After we had exchanged our money, I followed him as we checked our luggage into a locker. He had checked his bags all the way to Uganda as well so it wasn't that much stuff. We bought our tube tickets and found a map and we were off. I was almost skipping with excitement as we boarded and made our way into London. It was fast! Much faster than any train or public transportation system I had been on at home. We had bought a ticket that was good for the day and mapped out our destinations before boarding. Edward was such a gentlemen. He always gave up his seat to the ladies when there was no room and he was always making sure that I was taken care of. I tended to trip quite a bit, and he was always there to make sure I didn't fall.

We didn't have a lot of time for questions since we hit one destination after another so quickly, but he did keep his promise. We saw Buckingham Palace and rode the double decker bus, and we even saw Big Ben and the London Bridge. It was an extremely fun-filled day, and by the end of it, I was exhausted. On our way back to the airport, Edward had to gently shake me awake several times so that I didn't end up in a heap on the floor. I had left Seattle at midnight and flown to JFK before flying to London. Those were some long flights, and though I'd managed to sleep a little on the plane, I was definitely tired again.

Once we reached the airport again, we collected our things and checked in through the gates at our airline. We sat each sat next to one another in the long row of chairs and began to share a little bit about ourselves. I found out that Edward came from a very close family with two siblings. His parents were still together after 28 years of marriage. He had become a doctor because his dad was. He had graduated high school a year early and received his bachelor's degree in record time. His medical degree was from NYU, and he had done his residency at Nationwide Children's Hospital because he ultimately wanted to go into pediatrics. He was even greater guy than I'd imagined and I was grateful that he was the one I would be working and living with for the next two years.

We'd been so engrossed in our conversation, we jumped when boarding for our flight was called. Having arranged for our seats to be next to one another, I was excited to be able to get to know him better over the next eight hours. We took our seats, buckled up, and soon we were taking off towards our future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. The plot however is all mine!**

EPOV

I looked down at the woman sleeping on my shoulder. She must have been exhausted to fall asleep in mid-sentence like that. Bella, as she told me to call her, seemed to be an amazing person from what little I knew about her. She had gone on a study abroad when she was 19--strange enough, it was to Uganda as well--and she was obviously kind-hearted and sincere. She was the perfect person to assist me at the clinic.

When Bella had come walking towards me out of the sea of people in Heathrow, I had known her instantly. The orange shirt was quite obvious amidst the other travelers' dull colors, but the kindness in her eyes was how I instantly knew it was her. She was quite obviously excited at the way she was almost running through the airport and I couldn't help but laugh at how exuberant she was. As she noticed me watching her, I saw a slight blush stain her cheeks, yet she didn't act the least bit embarrassed upon meeting me. Her hair was a dark brown color, which might be called normal, yet it suited her fair coloring wonderfully. Her eyes were a beautiful brown, full of warmth and life. I knew that I was going to enjoy having her not only as my co-worker, but as a friend as well.

Just as I was closing my eyes to get some rest before what I knew was going to be a long day, Bella started talking in her sleep. It was quite funny to watch the other passengers jump a bit as she started ranting about her friend Jacob hugging her too tight. I was a bit envious of their friendship from what she had told me today. I had some close friends growing up, but we had grown apart as we all went off to college. Being too busy in recent years to cultivate any new and lasting friendships, I'd missed having someone close to talk to and share my thoughts and feelings with. I had a feeling that I would at the very least gain a life-long friend in Bella during this experience. You can't help but grow close to someone when experiencing situations like we would be immersed in daily.

As I was falling asleep, I smiled to myself. While I knew it was going to be a rough two years, I couldn't ask for a better partner to share it with.

I awoke to the captain announcing our arrival into Entebbe, Uganda. I nudged Bella, who was still sleeping on my shoulder and opened my window. Looking out, I saw the beautiful waters of Lake Victoria as our plane flew in. The sun had just risen over it and it was a glorious sight to behold. "Bella, look how beautiful it is!" I exclaimed, pointing out the window.

Smiling, she nodded. "Wait until you meet the people! They're the true beauty of this country."

The airplane touched down and stairs were brought up to the plane. There was no boarding directly into the airport here! As I walked outside, the heat and humidity struck me almost immediately. It was almost hard to breathe due to the damp, sticky air. The steam was already rising off the tarmac and everything was a bit hazy as I climbed down and followed the other passengers into the baggage claim area to buy my visa and claim the luggage. Since this was such a new experience for me, I was understandably nervous and I grasped Bella's hand. Since she had been here before, she'd know exactly what to do. I was normally used to taking the lead in everything I did, so I was very surprised that I didn't mind handing over the reigns to her.

We weren't due to head north for at least a week, but I'd wanted to get a feel for the people and their culture before I settled into the daily life of doctor at the clinic. When I suggested we come early, Bella had agreed quickly and told me she would make all the necessary arrangements. I was extremely curious as to where we'd be staying and the transportation we'd be using since the car we were assigned to use was still in Kitgum, and wouldn't be available until the current doctor and nurse left when we took their places.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Bella tugged me to the nearest official. She pulled out some American dollars and bid me to do the same. Before he would accept our money, the man asked to see our immunization cards, which we carried with us specifically for this moment. The yellow cards listed exactly which shots we'd received, and most importantly, verified our yellow fever vaccination which was the biggest requirement for gaining access to the country. Once he was satisfied with our records, we were able to pay and each receive our very own visa. It would have to be renewed in 6 months, but for now we were legally in the country.

"Come on!" Bella exclaimed, pulling me over to the baggage area. She was so animated right now, obviously thrilled to be back in Uganda. She had told me that she had fallen in love with it before, and had been ecstatic that this was where she was assigned to with the Peace Corps. I followed behind her, enjoying the excitement so clearly radiating from her.

We collected our luggage and I could tell Bella was clearly taken aback by how much I had brought as we piled the bags and boxes onto the cart provided for us. "My dad sent us medical supplies for the clinic. He knew we would need more than what was provided," I explained, seeing the question in her eyes.

"That was wonderful of him," Bella replied, her eyes shining.

"He's the most generous person I know." I wanted to share more about him with her. My father was my idol, the reason I had become what I was. My desire surprised me. For some reason, she was just so easy to talk to and I felt I could share anything with her, but before I could explain more, I was interrupted.

Bella let out a high pitched squeal and dropped everything in her hands. Unfortunately, my left foot was in the way of the heavy bag she had been holding and I gasped in shock as it landed. Not wanting the pain to show, I concentrated on her reaction. She had run up to a tall man and threw her arms around him, clearly taking him by surprise as well. Grabbing his hand, she tugged him back towards me, chattering the whole way. Amazed, I realized that her accent had changed and I could barely understand a word she was saying. She had transformed before my eyes into someone who spoke like they'd been living in Africa their whole life.

Stopping in front of me, she began the introductions. "Edward, this is Fred Kyakonye. He's the best boda boda driver in the world, and he'll be taking us to where we're staying."

I turned to Fred and shook his hand, fighting not to fidget as he looked me up and down. I was sure he was judging my character, and I wanted to make a good impression. Finally he spoke. "It is nice to meet you, Edward. I hope that you are nice to Nankya here. If not, I will hear about it." After a few infinitesimal seconds, I finally was able to decipher what he'd said. If I'd thought Bella's accent was thick, it was nothing to hearing a true Ugandan speak.

"Nankya?" I questioned. Neither of them seemed to hear me, both having turned around to inspect all the luggage. When they were sure it was there, they both left, leaving me standing in my tracks staring after them. I figured they'd forgotten me in their joy at seeing one another again, and quickly hurried after them.

We stepped out of the small airport and approached an older car bearing a taxi label that had certainly seen better days. Instinctively, I knew this was Fred's car and a matter of pride to him. I was proved correct when he eagerly opened the door, showing off its musty interior and even opening the trunk for our inspection. After piling all the luggage into the trunk, and half of the back seat, we climbed in and were ready to go.

We pulled onto the tarmac, and headed off to our unknown destination. The road was quite smooth, smoother than I expected after being informed numerous times that all the roads would be full of potholes. On both sides was lush green forests with monkeys swinging from the trees lining the roadside. I briefly wondered if there were leopards lurking among the dark undergrowth. I still couldn't quite believe that I was here, starting to live a dream that I'd had since I was a kid.

BPOV

I was so happy to finally be back here, yet it was almost unbelievable. I had been dreaming of this moment since the day I left and now it was almost surreal to think that I'd be able to live here for two whole years. I could sense Edward's amazement as he silently rode in the back seat and was reminded of the day that I'd first set foot in this country and the feelings that had overwhelmed me.

The memory was still fresh in my mind, even a few years later. _As our mini-bus full of students had entered the capital city, I'd looked around in awe. Hordes of people were flowing into the intersection in every directions. There was no clear traffic signs, yet, somehow the traffic continued to flow. I looked off to my right in amazement as a bicycle piled high with bunches and bunches of small, green bananas, was maneuvered through the very busy street by its clearly insane driver. How he dared venture into this madness without steel surrounding him, I didn't know. I expected at any moment to see bananas littering the road as the other cars flew within inches of him, yet somehow he miraculously made it through onto the concrete sidewalk. _The honking of a horn sounded, and I was swept back to the present.

As we drove, I couldn't stop myself from grilling Fred. Although we had emailed one another for the past two years, it wasn't as frequent as I had hoped, and I was curious about his wife and little boys. Sadly, his oldest son, Adam had gotten sick last year and the doctors were unable to save him.

It still made me angry thinking about it. Fred had been a boda boda driver when I met him and had worked his way up from driving someone else's bike, to owning his very own. He was a hard worker and did all he could to support his family. It was right after he was able to afford this car that we were driving in that disaster had struck. Adam had gotten sick, and they had brought him to the hospital. Because he was poor the doctors had treated him unkindly, saying that he couldn't afford them. After Fred used all his savings, the doctors wouldn't treat Adam anymore and sent him home. He'd died without ever even knowing what was wrong, and that broke my heart. I only hoped that his other two boys would stay healthy.

I chatted with Fred all the way to Kampala, getting the update on all of the happenings that had occurred while I was gone, meticulously avoiding all talk of Adam. I didn't want to see the sadness in Fred's eyes as he relived those terrible months. When we reached the city, I looked back to find Edward staring about him in amazement. His eyes were wide and he looked a bit shell shocked. All around us was traffic, mini buses that served as taxis swerved in and out of the commotion, people on bicycles, boda bodas, regular cars, pedestrians, some even carrying objects on their heads, were everywhere. There were no street signs, no general directions to follow, everybody just did their best to find a way out of the madness. Seeing in his eyes the memories I had just reflected on moments before, I grinned.

Fred pulled us up to a bank advertising a good exchange rate, and I pulled Edward out of the car. "We need to exchange our money here." We had opted to carry cash, although it was risky, because the exchange rate would be better for our 50 and 100 dollar bills than traveler's checks. We ran inside the bank and waited in line, exchanged our money for shillings and ran back to the car in almost record time. I was extremely grateful that we'd reached Kampala during the slower afternoon hour.

As we headed out of Kampala on Jinja Road, a wave of carsickness engulfed me. The first few months I'd been here before, I had spent the time perpetually carsick, my head spinning constantly from the chaos that ensued on the roads here. The traffic weaved in and out as we bounced through potholes, and swerved to avoid the ever likely head on collisions. After what seemed like months in the country, I'd finally been able to overcome the affliction and actually enjoy the rides back and forth from our destinations and I only hoped that I'd get over my affliction quickly this time because I wanted to be able to observe the interesting sights on the side of the roads. There was everything from jungle, to corn or tea fields, and even huge piles of garbage.

As we neared the outskirts of Seeta, we passed huge piles of bricks smoldering from the fires lit in the middle to bake them solid. I felt a wave of nostalgia engulf me as I glimpsed The Daughters of Charity Orphanage that I'd volunteered at before, and made a note to visit them again before heading north.

Realizing that Edward still had no idea where we were going, I turned around excitedly. He was still looking around in amazement and quite a bit of awe. Knowing that this is what I must have looked like the first time I passed here, I smiled and waved my hand in front of his face, drawing his focus back to me. When I'd done my study abroad, I'd lived with a host family. They were amazing people, and I truly considered them my family. We'd be staying with them at their house in a little town called Mukono and I couldn't wait to introduce them to him. When I told him that we would actually be living with Ugandans the next week, he had seemed excited. Somehow I sensed that knowing the people and their culture and beliefs was as important to him as it was to me.

**AN: Okay, so I will try to let everyone know what things are..or how to say them. In Uganda, if something is spelled with a Ki, or Ky, they pronounce it with a "ch" sound-like chick. For example, they call a kitchen a chichen. So Bella's Ugandan name (which you will hear more about later) is Nankya-or Nancha. Does that make sense. Also, they tend to not use contractions-so instead of I'm, its I am or it's they say it is. :) They are just more formal in the way they speak. **

**A boda boda is like a little moped. They are a transportation method-people use them like taxis. They are everywhere. Generally, one person owns a bunch of boda bodas and they "let" their drivers use them. The drivers actually only get to keep very little of what they earn, because they have to pay for the rental of the boda boda. So, its very hard for them to make a living and they do this all day and quite late into the night. That is what I meant by Fred finally owning his own bike-then all the money he made was his own. The story about his son...really happened to a friend of mine who lives there. It's awful and sad, but unfortunately a fact of life for many people around the world that they can't afford basic medical care for their children. **


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Bella and Edward belong to Stephenie Meyer

BPOV

As Fred drove us up to Sarah and Hajjis' gate to drop us off, I could hardly contain myself. I leaped out of the car to open the gate and gestured him through. Standing on the front porch was my Ugandan "mom" beaming at me with her arms held open. I walked into her arms and received her warm hug. I was so happy to be back here, in this village, at this house with these wonderful people.

"Oli Otya?" I said to Sarah. I never had been able to fully learn the Lugandan language, but between Sarah, Hajji and Fred, I had become quite proficient at every day words and phrases.

"Gyendi, Nnyabo. Oli Otya?" Sarah answered.

"Gyendi. I have missed you though. It is good to be home."

Suddenly Sarah's attention shifted to over my shoulder. Her eyes widened, and I knew she was looking at Edward. She had always been interested in my love life, or lack thereof, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Before she could speculate more, I made the introductions.

"Sarah, this is Edward. I told you that when I was assigned here, I was to be a nurse for the doctor at the clinic. He is the doctor I will be helping." I grasped Edward's hand and pulled him forward for inspection.

I was surprised to hear Sarah giggle slightly as she knelt before Edward and bowed her head. He looked embarrassed by the gesture and flushed a slight shade of red. I whispered quietly in his ear as she stood up that it was considered a sign of respect here for women to bow to men so he wouldn't offend her.

"I is very nice to meet you, Sseebo Edward. I am glad that Bella has someone to watch over her here. The north is a very dangerous place right now. You take care of my baby mzungu for me." Sarah commanded.

I could see Edward working out in his head what she was saying. "You'll get used to the accent soon enough. You'll probably start speaking with one of your own within the next couple of weeks." I whispered again.

To my surprise, he answered Sarah without needing interpretation. "Yes, I know it is dangerous. I promise you that I will do everything I can to keep her safe." He spoke so solemnly that no one could doubt the truth of his words.

Sarah nodded once and grasped both our hands and begin tugging us through the house. I smiled at the familiar narrow staircase leading upstairs to where we would be sleeping. To my surprise, she opened a single door-the door to the room where I had slept with my roommate before and led us both in. There were the two narrow twin beds on either side of the room with the exact same barbie bedsheets on one bed and the normal striped sheets on the other. A small patch of floor about 3 feet wide was all the space that was available in between the beds.

I wanted to weep as I spied the hand print on the wall that Michelle and I had dubbed "Wilson" after the movie Castaway. The walls were whitewashed and subsequently areas that had a tendency to get dirty, stayed that way. Washing was not an option because it took the whitewash off along with the dirt. The room had not changed a bit since the years I had been away.

"I am sorry Nankya, but you will have to share a room with Edward. It is improper, but we have no where else for him. Jamilia and Hasifa are home from school as well as Beka and Boumb. I trust him to be on his best behavior." she leveled a steely eyed glare at him until he meekly nodded.

"Get your bags settled and come downstairs. The family wants to see you and I will have tea ready." She left us, a bustle of energy whirling out of the room.

I stared at Edward's wide eyed expression for a moment, then put my finger under his chin to close his mouth. "You'll get used to her."

"She is a fierce mother hen isn't she? I'd best take care not to harm you in any way." He finally found the humor in it and began to grin.

"Oh, yes. For some reason, she took me in just as if I were her own. My roommate Michelle was treated more like a friend or adult, but I was the baby. She even lectured me like her own child. I'm sure you'll notice that soon enough." I laughed. I loved my host mom as if she really had given birth to me. I was quite sure she felt the same way.

"Well, which bed do you want" Edward questioned finally. I pointed to my bed, the one that had always been mine.

"Wait! That's not fair. You left me with the Barbie bed!" He protested. I could tell he really wasn't serious so I shoved him playfully on it.

"Nope, no complaining now. I'll tell Sarah you're being mean to me and you don't want that, do you?" I questioned with an innocent look on my face.

"Well, that does it. I guess I'm stuck in barbie land. You'd best not tell anyone about this at home." he threatened lightly.

I grinned and plopped down on my bed, setting out a small alarm clock on the one nightstand between our beds. I didn't bother to unpack much of anything else, and stacked my luggage in the small space at the end of the bed. I heard an unmanly squeak as a mouse ran out from under the bed.

Laughing I looked up to see that Edward had jumped on his bed, taking his feet out of the way of the little rodent scurrying across the floor. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough."

I watched as he gingerly set his feet back on the floor and stacked his luggage in a similar manner as mine. "Come on. I'll show you around." I said, once again grabbing his hand and tugging him along eagerly. I couldn't wait to see the rest of my home again and I figured that the only way to stop his gawking and hurry him along would be to drag him.

"You go through here to the bathroom." I said leading him out onto the balcony. From the railing you could see the little mud huts outside the fence that surrounded the house. There were little children playing in the dirt and a few huts had small cooking fires burning outside. I waved to a few of the children that began chanting "mzungu, mzungu" upon seeing us and reminded myself to raid the candy stash I had brought to share with the children.

I walked into the small room off to the side. It has a futon sitting against the wall, and three more doors leading off of it. Gesturing to the one straight ahead, I led him out onto another veranda. This time, I heard him gasp and smiled.

Instead of the small huts and other houses in the village that were visible from the other balcony, this one was on the opposite side of the house and looked out onto beautiful African jungle. A few monkeys were swinging from the trees outside the gates and small patches of red dirt and water were visible where there were breaks in the trees. The sun was now a blood red color as it began its slow descent out of the sky for the day.

"It's beautiful huh?" I said, still watching his awed face. "Come on, you'll have time to look later. I want to show you the rest of the house and find my brothers and sisters."

I led him back through the door and pointed to the small door on the right. "That's the toilet. We are lucky to have one! It sure beats pit latrines which I'm sure we'll find ourselves using more often than not."

Pointing to the sink I instructed him. "Make sure that you only use that to wash your hands. Use your bottled water to rinse your toothbrush and your mouth." Grabbing his hand, I opened the other door.

"This is the shower." I said almost reverently. I was looking forward to at least a week more of showers. I had already resigned myself to bucket bathing and pit latrines for the rest of my two years here not knowing what my living situation would be like in Kitgum.

EPOV

It was funny to me, the look of bliss that Bella had on her face as she looked at the shower. It was really nothing great to look at-a small square shaped shower with a drain. The sides of the shower weren't even half a foot tall and there were no shower curtains. The window was also quite see through and no shower curtains adorned that as well. I figured that it was high enough that privacy was still granted though.

"Running water...warm, running water." Bella sighed under her breath. I watched in fascination. Finally, her gaze focused and she flushed realizing that ɪ was staring at her curiously. "You don't know how much you'll crave long showers after living here!" She said defensively.

I just grinned at her, flustering her even more. "Anyways, this is how you shower here." She said ignoring me now. "First of course, you take off your clothes. Always, always wear your flip flops in the shower though! Next, turn on the water, get wet and turn it off. Now you soap up, wash your hair and then turn on the water again and rinse off. If you use conditioner you repeat the process again until your done." She really was a bossy little thing.

I grinned again. "So, I'm not sure how to do all that correctly. Maybe you can give me a demonstration first."

"I-I'm not sure..." she broke off flustered, only to realize that I was teasing her. "Ha ha, very funny." she said as she punched me lightly on the shoulder.

"Sorry, it was just too much of an opening." I apologized, following as she led me back the way we'd come and down the stairs.

"Be careful on these stairs, they're a danger trap" she was saying just as her shoe caught-on what I could only presume was air-and she tripped headfirst down the stairs. To my horror, I could only stand and watch her fall.

Suddenly she was caught by a teenage boy who was smiling from ear to ear. I smiled, not only happy that she was safe, but glad that I was still going to be in Sarah's good graces. "Beka!" she squealed throwing her arms around the young man. He looked to be about 19 years old, with a shaved head and a white shirt with a color and shorts. He was wearing the same blue flip flops that I had seen on many people here already.

Before I could even blink, we were surrounded by people. Bella was busy throwing her arms around everyone, but I was slightly uncomfortable as four pairs of dark ebony eyes looked at me curiously. All four of them had shaved heads, yet I could clearly tell the difference between which ones were boys and which were girls. The girls were just to pretty to be anything else. "Sorry, everyone this is Edward. He's going to be my partner at the clinic the next couple of years. We'll come and visit as often as we can." After measuring me for a moment, they all looked away and began dragging Bella to the couch jabbering on about a card game called egyptian rat killer.

Bella winked at me and I could only gape. Somehow, I had been left standing alone staring after her. I knew that it would be awhile before I was accustomed to the melee that usually surrounded her.

I sat next to her on the couch as she chattered on with the others. Suddenly I noticed Sarah coming in with a huge platter. On the platter was a whole fish of a type I had never seen before. It was steaming, so it was obviously cooked, yet it had been cooked whole-head and all. I gulped as she set it down before me and commanded "Edward, you eat."

"Um, I'm not sure..." I said looking to Bella. I was at a loss as to how to begin. She grinned at me, enjoying my discomfort, but took pity on me.

"Like this", she said peeling back the layer of outside skin to reveal the white fleshy meat underneath. She pinched a little of the meat between her fingers, blowing it off gently before popping it into her mouth and beginning to chew. I followed suit. My eyes widened as I began to chew the fish. It was surprisingly good. "What is this?" I asked quietly. The rest of the family had begun to dig into the fish, devouring it quicker than I imagined possible.

"Oh, that's Nile Perch. It's good isn't it?" Bella asked grinning at me before pinching another bite. I watched in amazement as the fish was quickly eaten-even the head.

After a long evening of surprises and fun, it was time for us to go to bed. I was tired and ready for bed. They didn't eat dinner until around 10, so by the time we finished eating-a "small" meal of beans, rice and a tortilla like food known as chipote, I was ready to fall asleep in my food.

I stumbled upstairs after Bella and grabbed my clothes to go get ready in the bathroom. I quickly pulled my clothes on and realized that I had forgotten some bottled water to use and ran back to the bedroom. I noticed the door was slightly opened and peeked in. Bella was sitting on the side of her bed with the 8 year old Jamilia cuddled up next to her. She was singing a lullaby and slowly stroking the little girls smooth head.

Tender feelings welled up within me as I watched how lovingly she sang to her. She was such and extraordinary woman-so gentle, loving and tenderhearted, yet she was full of passion and spirit as well. I felt so incredibly grateful to whatever benevolent god was allowing me to be near her.

I gently knocked on the door and pushed it open when she looked up and smiled. "Jamilia, time for bed." she whispered to the little girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek before she scampered off.

"I forgot the bottled water for my teeth." I stated, grabbing it and turning to leave. I felt so awkward around her suddenly and wanted to escape quickly to think over what was happening to me.

"Hey! Wait up. I'll come too. Do you mind sharing your water with me, so I don't have to dig one out of my suitcase. We'll probably have to buy some more tomorrow." She babbled on as she followed me, not even giving me time to answer.

After brushing our teeth, we hurried back to the room. Bella turned the small fan on that was to serve as our air conditioner for the night and shut the window-"to keep the mosquitoes out"-she said.

I smiled as she turned off the light. What a day-what an adventure I was starting! It certainly helped me not to feel as homesick to know that I would be experiencing it with the most amazing creature I had ever met in my life.

"Good night, Bella. Thank you for helping me so much today." I said, as I laid my head on my pillow. I fell asleep quicker than I had in my entire life and I didn't even hear her reply.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Edward and Bella (and Alice) belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Thanks to Bethaboo for allowing me to bounce ideas off her (and annoy her with continuous stories about my life). If any of you haven't read her story **Turning Dust into Gold**, I highly recommend it!**

EPOV

I woke up to Bella's small alarm clock blaring in my ear. I sat up groggily, realizing that it was still dark in the room, yet outside the light pink color of dawn was clearly visible. I sat up only to realize that Bella was already fully dressed and wearing running shoes.

"How are you up so early? Weren't you tired?" I asked groggily, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Oh, I slept on the plane remember? You were my pillow? Besides, I never miss an African sunrise if I can help it! Want to join me in a run?" she jabbered, leaning over to tie her shoe laces.

"Um...sure. Give me a sec to get my clothes on." I said, hopping up to rummage through one of my bags. I grabbed my running shorts and a t-shirt and ran to the bathroom to change.

Once I was ready, Bella led me quietly down the stairs. The rest of the family was apparently still asleep. We crept through the kitchen to the back door, which was bolted shut and sealed with a padlock. Once that was open, a heavy iron door was also required to be opened before finally making it outside. We ran to the gate, which also was padlocked and finally we were outside and in the village.

She led us to the left, up the red dirt path and onto the larger dirt road. I cringed my nose at the smell of garbage as we ran past a huge mound off to the side.

"Sorry if you like to go fast. I tend to trip a lot if I'm not careful, so I prefer to jog at a slower pace." Bella apologized.

Around us, school children were headed off for the day dressed in their uniforms of pink and purple. I wondered why there was no blue. A few boda bodas passed us, but the road was pretty clear. On both sides was lush green jungle plants and through the leaves we could intermittently see some more brick huts. Occasionally an animal-a chicken or a cow-was tied to a tree.

I stopped in my tracks as I looked off to my left. The sun-a blood red color was just raising above the tree line. It was absolutely breathtaking! I thought back to one of my favorite movies growing up-The Lion King-and how the sun rising in the movie was that red color. Disney had gotten it quite right, only it was so much more magnificent in real life rather than watching a cartoon.

I came out of my hypnosis to realize that Bella was watching me, a small smile on her face. "It's magnificent isn't it?"

"Yes, I feel like we should be listening to _The Circle of Life." _I said, still in awe of the beauty surrounding me. National Geographic just didn't do Africa justice.

Bella began running again and I followed mechanically. "So, what's the plan for today?" I asked curiously as she slowed down to let a man herding some cows pass.

"Well, that depends." She said, eyes still intent on the passing cows. Suddenly she squealed and scrambled up the embankment on the side of the road. Slipping in the dirt, she grabbed my hand and tried to pull me up as well. A cow had taken an interest in her and was headed right for her, sharp horns glinting in the sun. I gave her a small push and jumped up after her just as the cow reached the side of the road. Luckily, it decided that we were too much trouble and turned around.

"That was close!" I said, my heart still beating rapidly. "Does this kind of stuff happen to you ordinarily?"

"Well, I guess I should have warned you," she said sheepishly, ducking her head. "I'm a bit of a danger magnet. Thanks for helping me out."

"No problem, though I think you should have worried about yourself rather than me. The cow wasn't headed towards me, you know."

"Oh, I know. You hadn't seemed to notice though, and I didn't want it heading for you next."

After a slight awkward pause resulting from my inability to decide what to say, I decided a change of subject was a good idea. "So, what depends?" I asked curiously.

"Uh...what?" Bella answered. Clearly she had forgotten what we were discussing before the cow incident.

"You were telling me about our plans today." I encouraged.

"Oh, ya. Well, I already have definite plans for tomorrow, but I figured we ought to let our parents know we are here and survived the transatlantic flights and the airline food. We could use the internet cafe' here in Mukono, but its really slow and takes forever. Its better in Kampala if you're up to a taxi ride. I'd also really like to visit the orphanage I volunteered at before."

"Sure, I'd love to experience the wonders of Ugandan public transportation. It would be a treat to visit the orphanage with you as well, if that's okay." I hid my true feelings with a blithe tone. The truth was, I was dying to see Bella interact with the children at the orphanage. I wanted to see that gentle, loving side to her again. I wasn't sure why, but somehow I felt that watching her with those children was going to be the highlight of my day, perhaps even my year so far. Something about her brought out feelings that I had never experienced before, and while it was scary, it was somehow refreshing.

"Okay, let's head back then!" Bella almost sang as she turned around, only to trip over her own feet. She caught herself in time and began jogging back the direction we had come. "Race you!" she said, taking off without giving me warning.

"Not fair!" I complained good naturedly, although I had instinctively sped up. I caught her easily and passed her just as we reached the gate to the house. "Ha! I won!" I declared triumphantly, punching my hand into the air.

"And it really was a challenge, wasn't it?" came her sarcastic reply.

I followed her inside to find that the household was waking up. Sarah was out on the balcony doing her daily prayers to Mecca so I hurried into the room and grabbed my clothes.

"So, who gets the shower first today?" I asked.

"Well, why don't we play rock, paper, scissors for it?" she answered after a moment.

"Sure, that sounds like an idea. Or...we could always hop in together and you can demonstrate those instructions you gave me yesterday. I'm not sure I can remember them." I answered, winking at her as she started to blush.

"Never mind. For that, I get the shower first. Besides, it will take me longer to get ready. I need to braid my hair today." she said as she grabbed her clothes and ran laughing out of the room.

After my shower, I ran down the stairs to find her quietly eating some pineapple at the kitchen table. There were two small plates in front of her, and another two sitting in front of the chair next to her. I eyed them incredulously when I realized that for breakfast, we were having the same beans, rice and chipote from the night before.

Bella grinned at me. "Get used to it. They eat leftovers repeatedly until they are gone." I looked at her, slightly surprised. I was used to the women I knew taking the time to meticulously put on their makeup and dress with care each day. Alice, my sister was the worst about this. She would never be seen in public without makeup.

Bella was different. Not only did she not have a stitch of makeup on, she had her hair in two french braids and was wearing a bandanna. She had on an ankle length khaki skirt and a short sleeved orange t-shirt. Chaco sandals strapped to her feet completed the ensemble. She looked beautiful.

BPOV

I smiled as Edward was surrounded by little Ugandan children, all vying for his attention. I wasn't particularly surprised that it was the little females that climbed on him the most. Oh, if I were a child again, I would put that freedom to good use. He had an incredible body, and I was dying to get a real close up of those incredible chest muscles of his.

I shook my head out of my thoughts when I heard little Patience ask Edward to sing to them. He glanced up at me, slightly panicked and I immediately took charge. I was accustomed to the demanding nature of the children and their desire for fun and games. It was not very often that they had willing, grown up, playmates to spend time with.

I arranged them quickly into a circle and taught them the words of _Little Sally Walker_. The children who I had worked with here before had loved this song, so I wasn't surprised to find the most of them knew the words already. It was apparent the the other children (all old enough to be at school now) had taught the words to the younger ones.

One child would walk around in the center of the circle while the rest of us would sing and clap.

_Little Sally Walker, walking down the street._

_She didn't know what to do, so she walked right up to me. _

Then the child would walk up to a person standing in the circle and start to dance-swaying hips, jumping, whatever.

_She said, hey girl do your thing, do you thing, now switch._

The other person would then start dancing.

_Hey girl do your thing, do your thing now switch._

The person who had been chosen, now had to be in the middle as "little Sally Walker". It was a fun song, and a fun game. I was always amazed at how coordinated the children were in their dancing skills. I had long held a theory that African children came out of the womb with beautiful singing voices and feet that were already dancing.

I demonstrated, being Sally Walker first. I danced with a little girl named Fred, and then it was her turn. I giggled as she walked right up to Edward, somehow knowing that this was going to happen. My giggles were cut off instantly, and it was all I could do to keep singing as Edward started to swivel his hips. He certainly had some moves. I blushed deep red as he looked at me and winked. Trying too keep my voice from going into squeaky high soprano mode, I took a moment to compose myself and let the other children sing for a minute.

As Edward entered the circle as Sally Walker, I watched him interact with the kids. He exuberantly walked around, slowly approaching each child and then running quickly to the next as they giggled. When it was time to walk up to someone, he walked up to me. There was that darn wink again!

He kept the hip swiveling to a minimum and I was thankful for that. When it was my turn to dance for him, I couldn't bring myself to do a hip swivel back. This wasn't a mating dance for heaven's sake! We were just playing with some kids! There was no way I could be convinced he was interested in me. He was the epitome of everything I knew I would never have-beautiful, handsome, kind hearted, a caregiver, he even played with children! I was not going to set myself up for disappointment later on. If I was going to have to live with him for two years, I refused to make things awkward between us as I knew would happen if he had to rebuff me.

We continued playing with the children for a couple more hours. Red Rover was a particular favorite of theirs as well as Duck, duck goose. When it came time to leave, I hugged the children and watched as Edward did the same. A lump rose in my throat at how adorable he was with them, how careful he was to see that each one got the attention they deserved.

* * *

I pulled a slightly shell shocked Edward out of the mini-bus turned taxi I had smashed him into earlier. The 12 seater van had been full of about 16 people, a very uncomfortable ride, but not quite as bad as I had seen it get. There were no such thing as seat belts, and our taxi driver had been a bit crazier than most-swerving in and out of traffic like he was playing bumper cars.

At each stop, the taxi had begun to grow more crowded, finally resulting in me ending up on Edward's lap. I apologized to him, as my face grew bright red as I sat down. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and I gasped in shock. He smiled his crooked smile at me "I'll be your seat belt since there doesn't seem to be any around here."

I didn't think it was possible for me to turn any redder, yet I did. The feel of his arms around me was amazing. They made me feel safe and protected, like nothing could harm me. I had never experienced such a sensation in my life. It made me forget the stench of unwashed bodies permeating the taxi. Most Ugandans didn't have the luxury of showering every day and the smell was often overpowering. It made me even forget the crazy swaying of the taxi as it weaved its way through the streets.

"Come on" I told him as the dazed look left his eyes. "Are you feeling alright? When I was here at first, I was sick after every car ride."

"I'm...fine. I just never thought that riding in a car could make me so dizzy." he answered after a moment.

"What do you want to do first? We can go use the internet, or we could eat."

"Well, I would rather let my stomach settle after Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, so is it alright with you if we email our families first?" He answered.

"Sure!" I said. I was about to take his hand to lead him through the crowded streets, but I stopped blushing at how forward I must have seemed to him. I hadn't known him more than 48 hours, yet I had held hands with him more than I ever had with anyone in my life. To top it off, I had even sat on his lap!

"What's wrong?" He had stopped too, noticing my blushing gaze directed at his hands.

"It's just...uh...well, you see...um, I went to grab your hand, but then I thought that..." I stammered until he took pity on me.

"Bella? There is no reason to be embarrassed for wanting to hold my hand. I'd love to have your hand in mind as often as you want it there. Besides, I don't want to lose you in this crowd. I'd never make it home again." He gently told me, grasping my hand and linking our fingers together. "Now, show me the way, oh fearless leader." he quipped.

I led the way on shaky legs. Although I'd naturally grabbed his hands before this, it had been more as a grown up leading a child. The feel of his fingers intertwined with mine was totally different and unique. A feeling that this was where I belonɡed had started to worm its way into my heart.

I averted my eyes from his curious gaze and instead looked out at the heartbreaking scenery before me. Men, women and children adorned the sidewalks, laying off to the side. Some of them had infants to care for, others no one, but the story was always the same. No job, no one to take care of them, to feed them, and a government too burdened by other problems to properly care for its poverty stricken people. The women had newspapers and magazines, sometimes fresh picked flowers laid out to sell. The men would sell little wood carvings if they had the skills to make them, anything to earn a little extra money. Many of the men were missing arms or legs-casualties of the never ending warfare that was part of Uganda's bloody history.

I walked up to one of the women. She was holding an infant in her arms. The baby could not have been more than a few weeks old. The beautiful child looked up at me with her wide dark eyes, and I knew that hers would be a hard life if she made it. It was always so hard for me that I could not help everyone out as much as I desired to. Handing her mother a few thousand shillings, I turned to go, but stopped short as I heard her frail voice.

"Please, my baby. Mzungu, please take my baby. I give her to you to care for." her voice broke at the last words.

I turned helplessly to face the woman again. My hands shook as I looked at the woman. Tears were now streaming down her cheek as she cradled the baby in her arms. "I am sorry. I cannot help you. I..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Beside me Edward took a step forward. He bent down to talk to the frail woman, and I saw him reach out and embrace the woman. I am not sure what he said to her, but when he finished talking she was satisfied that while we couldn't take her child, we did know some people who could help. I quickly gave her directions to a reputable baby home and told her to bring her child there if things worsened for her.

We left her sitting there on the side of the road with heavy hearts. This time, we reached for one another's hands in unison, needing the comfort that it brought. "I'm sorry Edward. I didn't mean to get you in such an awkward situation. It's just that, I can never just pass up so many people in need, especially those who have no way of helping themselves." I began as tears leaked out of my eyes.

"Shhh, Bella, its alright." He said. "I understand that you are too kind hearted to just walk by. In truth, you amaze me. Now, dry your tears and you can show me where we can contact our families."

I led him to the internet cafe and showed him how to get an account. We quickly began emailing our families, letting them know we were safe. I included a separate email to Jake and told him I was fine and that Edward was a complete gentleman. I knew he had been worried about that.

Just as I was finished, I heard Edward's stomach growl beside me. "So, I'm guessing you want to eat now?" I asked, laughing at the sheepish look on his face.

"Well, what are you in the mood for? There's a pizza place down the street, or a sandwich place up. There's also a chinese place around here somewhere. That's if you want something normal. We could always go to a marketplace and find some chipote and bananas. I tend to stay away from meat in those places though. Personally, I'd like to recommend the pizza place. It was always my favorite when we came to Kampala."

"Well, how about the pizza place then?" Edward said, yet again looking a bit overwhelmed whether about the choice in food products or my motor mouth capabilities I was unsure.

EPOV

I stared at Bella with wide eyes as she ranted at me. Who knew that I could get her so riled up by mentioning that I didn't bring a swimming suit with me.  
"Who brings enough clothes to live somewhere else for two years and doesn't bring a swimming suit with them? I mean, I should have mentioned that you needed to bring one in our emails, but I figured you were smart enough to know. You're a doctor right? Aren't you supposed to have common sense?"

Now she was getting a little bit personal. "Bella, I didn't bring a swimsuit because I didn't exactly think we were going to be on vacation here and I'm certain we won't have a pool where we'll be living. Besides, I am a doctor as you so eloquently stated." She blushed at this. "A doctor who has read the medical books. I suppose you've heard of schistosomiasis? You get it from swimming in water in certain tropical places-places like Uganda? I'd really rather not spend my time here ridding myself of a parasite."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you, but we aren't going to be swimming in water where we can get the parasite. I promise. Just trust me when I say you are going to need a swimming suit tomorrow."

"Okay, let's say that I trust you. Now the question is, how am I going to find a swimming suit before tomorrow?" I asked. It wasn't exactly as if we could run to a department store back home.

"Let's go to the marketplace. They have all kinds of things there-clothes, food, jewelry. I bet we can find a swimming suit there!" Bella grasped my hand, and started tugging me through the crowded streets, not even stopping for breath.

My eyes widened as I reached the top of the hill. Beneath us were dozens of little tents set up, each person selling their wares at a table. There was even Kampala's own little collection of shops off to the side. These were in real buildings with glass and small signs compelling us to enter.

"Now, you probably will have more luck going into the boutiques to find a swimming suit, but we have to look at the marketplace. Its so neat, and there is so much too look at. We'll find you a suit first though. We need to be home before dark. Trust me, you don't want Sarah to lecture you or be on those roads at night. If you think daytime is bad, add the chaos of darkness!" Bella was talking so rapidly that I was having a hard time understanding her. My only guess was that she was extremely excited to be shopping. She'd get along well with my sister Alice.

I stopped short as I came to the first little shop. Hanging in the window was the largest pair of women's panties I had ever seen. I was shocked, not by the largeness of them, but by the fact that they were actually hanging in the window pulled over a shiny metal hoop the size of one of the toy hula hoops I'd played with as a child. I heard Bella giggle next to me. "I don't think you'll find what you need in that shop."

To my relief, we found a decent swimming suit in no time. It was a pair of tropical print board shorts, very similar to the ones I'd left at home. Too her disappointment, I had opted not to by the 1970's style swimsuit she had first picked out of me-the kind that is extremely short and tight.

I followed her out to the marketplace, curious to watch her shop. I knew we'd be here for a long time if she was anything like Alice. Too my surprise, instead of going from booth to booth, she sat down on a bench nearby.

"What are we doing?" I asked as I sat next to her.

"I'm people watching! This is the best! You see that woman over there? She is trying to feed her three little ones by selling that chipote. They are the three boys playing in the dirt over there. What's so amazing is that the other people realize it, and go to her first to buy before going anywhere else. Its always like this. I have rarely seen anyone turn down someone in need here."

"That's amazing." I said quietly, and settled down to watch the quirks and interactions of the people bustling around us.

Hours later, after another zany taxi ride, extremely late dinner, and a small lecture from Sarah about taking care of her "baby mzungu", I was exhausted. Although I had intended to grill Bella about her secretive plans for the next day, I just didn't have the energy left. I did, however; want to say goodnight to her. She was beginning to mean so much to me in such a short time. I couldn't imagine my life without her in it.

"Bella?" I asked as she entered the room. Her hair was wavy now. She'd taken it out of her braids the minute we'd gotten home earlier.

"Yes?" She answered, smothering a large yawn.

"I just wanted to say thank you...for today. I'm glad that I get to view Uganda through your eyes. You make me want to be a better person."

She blushed and looked down. "Thank you, Edward. Its not me though. I mean, its this country. How can you not see how amazing these people are, despite all they've gone through and not want to better yourself?"

I knew she was wrong, but I was unwilling to argue with her. She was so pure in heart, her soul so shatteringly innocent and sweet, that it was like I was in the presence of an angel. She seemed to be oblivious to her allure and I decided not to argue with her at the moment.

"Goodnight Bella. Sweet dreams." I whispered as I realized that she was already asleep.

**AN:**

**I have posted a few pictures on my profile. **

**Okay, so I am looking for a beta reader for this. Not so much for storyline-because that is not going to change, although I may bounce ideas off of you, but more for grammatical errors and such. If your interested, contact me!**

**Also, I know I may be in the minority here, but I LOVED Breaking Dawn. At first I was a bit unsure and thrown off because it WAS different, but I ended up liking it the best out of all of them. I won't post anything else about it until everyone has a chance to read it, but I do want to say give it a chance! **


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I cannot take credit for Bella, Edward, or any other characters associated with her work.

AN: Before any of think I've lost my mind, remember that the Nile River flows South to North. So, if someone is downstream swimming upstream-they are actually swimming with the current. :)

Also, thanks to my betas-bethaboo for letting me bounce ideas off her constantly and to mayalucille for doing a great job catching grammar errors.

BPOV

I sat at the edge of The Nile River, gazing at Bujagali Falls. The setting around me was picturesque, the stuff that dreams are made of. The orange, African sun was lowering in the sky as darkness crept into place. A cool breeze picked up, blowing my hair into my face and rustling the leaves of the nearby mango trees. The water rushed on, a great roaring waterfall that was somehow soothing, despite its sound. I closed my eyes to savor the richness that mother nature had created around me.

Suddenly, the peaceful feeling around me faded, replaced by a great crashing of water. I sat up quickly and noticed a huge, Nile Crocodile moving effortlessly up the embankment. _Run in a zig zag pattern, run in a zig zag pattern, _I told myself frantically, remember what a guide had told me during a safari at Lake Mburo National Park. I leaped to my feet and began to run, praying that my innate clumsiness wouldn't kick in and seal the deal for me.

I sprinted for the small straw hut, but suddenly it disappeared right before my eyes. Suddenly, where there had been land a moment before, was rushing water. I gasped in shock and veered to the right, all the while hearing the quickness of the large animal hunting me.

Suddenly I heard a voice. "Bella? Are you okay?" I gasped. It was Edward. I couldn't let the monster on my heels prey on him as well. I veered off in the opposite direction of his voice. As if fate was stepping in, my clumsy factor kicked in and I tripped over a large rock. As I fell, I could already feel the cold blackness of death descending on me. Before I could feel the sharp razor blade teeth of the crocodile sink into my skin, an entirely unexpected motion began to rock my world. It felt as if I was slowly moving back and forth, the type of movement that my body would be doing as someone shook me.

"Bella? Shhh, its okay. Its only a dream." _Oh_, I thought, opening my eyes to see Edward's concerned face looming over me. I was trembling from head to foot, my palms sweating as the uncannily realistic dream began to fade from my mind.

"Edward?" I asked, wincing as I realized my voice was coming out entirely too high pitched.

"I think its safe to say that you had a terrifying dream. Want to tell me about it?" He said calmly, his arms still loosely holding me.

I blushed bright red, embarrassed that my vivid dream had awoken him from his sleep. "Well, it was kind of silly really. There was this huge crocodile that was chasing me and I couldn't get away no matter how fast I ran, then you were there and I was terrified you were going to get hurt..." I trailed off, realizing I had said much more than I wanted him to hear.

Even in the darkness, I could see his gentle smile. "There you go protecting me before you think of yourself again. Didn't I tell you I could take care of myself?" he teased.

I smiled back at him. "Well, in any case it wasn't real so we don't have to worry about that." Glancing over his shoulder, I looked at the clock. "Shoot! Its 5:15. We need to hurry." I jumped up and began rummaging through my bag. I grabbed my swimming suit and some clothes to wear over it, continuing my instructions all the while.

"You need to make sure you wear your swimsuit, just put your clothes on over them. Don't bother showering today because there's really no point. Also pack a small overnight bag-some pajamas, your toothbrush, and clothes to wear tomorrow. I'll bring the shampoo and conditioner." I ran out of the room, leaving a somewhat dumbstruck Edward staring after me.

"Hurry!" I called as the door shut. "We need to board at taxi at 6! You can get dressed in here, while I change in the bathroom."

* * *

An hour later we were sitting in a taxi, speeding over the road to Jinja. The taxi was thankfully empty except for the driver and his doorman. The doorman would take the payment from the customers and advertise the direction the taxi was headed at stops. I was grateful that his attention seemed to be mostly focused on the road outside, rather than the two mzungus huddled together in the backseat.

It was shortly after the ride began that Edward had pounced. Suddenly he went into inquisition mode and began firing rapid questions at me.

The questions ranged from favorite color to likes and dislikes before abruptly turning serious. "I'm curious," He said, avoiding my eyes. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm very glad that you are here and I understand it to an extent, yet I'm confused. You seem so shy sometimes, yet so bold. It is such a contradiction."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Well, you obviously have the guts to come to another country, one that is far away from home and work for two years. I can understand the desire to help others, but why the Peace Corps? Why something that will take you so far out of your comfort zone, to a place where you know no one? I can tell that being apart from your family, your friends is hard for you." he paused for a breath and I didn't let him continue.

"You could say the same thing for yourself you know?" I asked him, just a tiny bit offended.

He could hear it in my voice. "No, I'm not saying it was the wrong decision. I feel that it was entirely right for reasons that you can't comprehend. I'm just trying to understand you better." He flashed a beguiling grin at me and my ire instantly melted away.

"I've always wanted to find ways to help others--volunteering at food kitchens, making newborn kits for babies around the world--yet, it never really registered with how much good I could possibly do as one person until I went on my study abroad here. It was more of a study abroad for research purposes, yet I had plenty of opportunities to volunteer. I came to see how valuable it was for an infant in a baby home to be held and loved for just one hour a day. I came to see how the children responded to an adult simply taking the time to play a game with them. It was then that I realized that I could make a difference even if it was only a difference to one individual. I went home and changed my major to nursing and haven't looked back since. I applied for the Peace Corps as soon as I graduated and here I am. Besides, I know people here!" I spoke passionately to him, wanting him to understand exactly where I was coming from.

"So you're saying that your desire to change the world is the antidote to your shyness?" Edward asked. I glanced up and saw the teasing grin on his face and stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed at me. "Besides, you couldn't know you would be assigned to Uganda. I, for one, think that you are very brave and I admire you immensely."

I blushed yet again and decided to change the subject. "Well, what about you. Why are you here? I imagine it was hard to leave your friends and family behind, not to mention your career."

"Not as hard as you might think. I love my family, truly I do, but I was so busy getting through medical school and college that I sort of lost track of my friends. Besides, I never had any as close to me as Jacob and you seem to be. I envy that. It is true that I miss my family, yet being here is like fulfilling a life long dream. I've always wanted to be like my dad. He is one of the most generous, giving people I know. If there was ever anyone in need, he would be there even if it meant staying at the hospital all night long with a dying patient. I have always wanted to be like him...to make him proud of me." His voice trailed off into a whisper barely heard over the humming of the van.

"Edward. Look at me." He looked up into my eyes. "I am certain your father is extremely proud of you. Who wouldn't be? If it means anything at all, I'm proud of you." I looked away from him, not wanting him to see the emotion in my eyes. Something about him brought all my boundaries down, had me wishing for something that I had never even dreamed about. Here was a man that I could see myself falling for, if I hadn't already. For the first time in my life, I was in the presence of a man who made me want to better myself so I could be on equal footing with him. He was just so...good.

Our conversation was interrupted when the taxi pulled up to our stop. I hopped out quickly, still avoiding his gaze and walked over to the boda boda drivers lined up and waiting for some business. After negotiating a quick price with the drivers, I told Edward to hop on and hold on tight. "If you think taxi drivers are crazy, you haven't seen anything yet!" I told him with a laugh, watching his eyes widen. "Have fun!" I waved as my boda boda driver took off first.

EPOV

I could hardly stop myself from jumping up and down like an excited little kid. Bella's little surprise turned out to be amazing. We were going white water rafting on the Nile River. It was impossible to fathom.

When I had asked her how we would raft a river that was supposed to be so calm, she had laughed at me. "Silly Edward, the Nile is thousands of miles long. Of course there is going to be some rapids in there. Besides, the Nile that you are talking about is called the Blue Nile which is in Egypt. This section is called the White Nile and it is magnificent!" She was bouncing up and down as she said this, so full of excitement for the day. She reminded me of my sister Alice, and I found myself wishing that they could meet one another.

I listened intently to one of the guides instruct us. Unfortunately, I had never had the opportunity to go white water rafting before, although I'd always wanted to. He instructed us on proper rowing techniques, what to do _when _we fell out of the boat (there was no if about it), and proper procedure for getting ourselves back into the rafts. They were actually taking out two rafts full of people who had booked with them. After some brief introductions, we were ready to head out.

As I climbed into the big, yellow and blue raft, I felt a vague worry over crocodiles, but dismissed it. There was no way the guides would allow us to be in such danger. I put my helmet on and made sure it was tight, then did the same with Bella's, smiling sheepishly as I realized how much her safety meant to me. As I finished, she flashed a brilliant smile at me and gave me a high five. "Have fun!" she said excitedly, grabbing my hand. Although I was extremely excited for this new experience, I was a bit nervous and her small action calmed me. Before I knew it, we were headed out into the current, ready to face the mighty Nile.

"Okay everyone," our guide Mike shouted over the roar of the water, "we are going to go through the first rapid. This one is a class III so hang on and don't forget to paddle!" Before any fear could even creep in, the rapids were upon us and I was too busy paddling furiously as the waves slammed into the raft. One moment we were battling great swells of foaming water, the next we were once again skimming long a smooth flowing river.

"Now this next rapid is a class II. We want you to get used to being in the water, because we can guarantee you that it will happen a lot today. We want you to jump out of the raft, and go through this one on your own." Mike instructed us. This was something entirely unexpected, but for some reason it didn't shock me. In a way, it made sense. They wanted us to get used to the feel of the rapids crashing over us and being dragged with the current so we wouldn't panic late on when we were thrown from the raft in bigger, more dangerous rapids.

I watched as Bella stood up, winked at me, and jumped out of the raft. Taking a big breath, I followed and let the current take me. I knew instantly when I'd reached the rapids. The roughness of the water was undeniably. Since they weren't strong, I wasn't pulled under and I was able to quickly remember the instructions-_point my feet the direction the current is flowing-_and soon came out on the other side. It was an incredible feeling and I instantly looked around to find Bella.

She was a little ways down river from me, closer to the rafts than I was. There were kayakers on either side of me and I waved to them. I could see the others floating with the current, relaxing their bodies, so I allowed myself to do the same.

Suddenly, I became aware of the conversation taking place between the two kayakers. "So, have you seen any crocodiles yet?" I glanced up to find the man who hadn't spoken yet scanning the water. Suddenly he gasped.

"There!" He cried out, a horrified expression crossing his face. I realized that he was pointing directly at me and fear struck my heart. Panic shot through me and I waited for the cold hard teeth to close in on me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I turned towards the rafts, ready to swim for my life. Since they were still downstream from me, I had the current working against me as I started thrashing through the water. My breath was coming in sharp gasps and I was hardly making any progress towards the rafts, yet still I kept swimming, waiting, always waiting for the razor teeth to prick my skin and feel the death roll of a crocodile begin.

After a few feet of progress, sanity started returning to my head. My heart plummeted as realization kicked in. Bella was also in the water! I turned in the direction I had last seen her, only to find her swimming towards me and not for the rafts. She was swimming with the current and was quickly going to reach me--me _and_ the giant, man-eating crocodile. If my heart had been racing before, now it abruptly halted its life-giving pulse. Suddenly, my life no longer mattered, only the life of the beautiful girl swimming towards me.

I turned in a circle once again, ready to shout at the kayakers to do something, anything to save her. The crocodile could eat me and it would be worth it as long as she was safe. As I looked up at their faces, I noticed something. A small grin had begun to form on the guide closest to me, while the other one was outright laughing.

I stopped swimming, stopped panicking. Looking at them in bewilderment, I felt reason enter my brain again. There was no crocodile near me. It was a sick joke that the guides were playing on me for their own amusement. I felt a touch on my arm and whirled around. Bella had reached me and was gazing at me with a concerned look in her eye. Relief overwhelmed the feelings of anger in me and not wanting to remember the blinding feel I had experienced when I'd thought Bella was going to get hurt, I wrapped my arms around her. Holding her close, the lingering feelings of fear faded entirely.

Catcalls broke us apart and I noticed the rafts were now beside us, waiting for us to climb back in. I watched as Bella was pulled back in the raft, then lifted myself into my seat. After a few choice glares aimed at the pranksters, I picked up my oar. "So," I said to Bella, "we really need to work on this superhero complex of yours. What were you going to do, wrestle a giant crocodile to save me?" My conversational tone hid my true feelings.

Flushing, Bella ducked her head. "I wasn't trying to save you, just help you. I figured out it was a joke pretty quickly, and you looked so panicked that I thought you might drown. I was just coming to tell you that you didn't need to worry."

"Oh, well thank you." I said a bit awkwardly. Just then, Mike shouted out that the next rapids were coming and I picked up my oar in readiness.

* * *

BPOV

I walked up to where Edward was sitting at the edge of Bujagili Falls. We'd finished rafting earlier, then came directly here. I'd made arrangements to stay in the campsite for the night so we wouldn't have to travel back to Mukono in the dark. "Hey, you." I said by way of greeting as he turned around.

A beautiful smile lit his face. "Hey. Thanks for today. That was truly a thrilling experience!"

"Even almost getting eaten by a pretend crocodile?" I said, smirking. He had been teased all day long by the other rafters, and while I had found his reaction worrisome at the time, I now realized the hilarity of the joke. I was just glad they hadn't played it on me.

"Very funny, Bella!" He said putting his arm around me. "You're just lucky the joke wasn't on you!"

"It wouldn't have been a pretty sight. I probably would have drowned myself trying to swim away. At least you stayed relatively calm."

"Well, calm until I realized you were in the water." He said and his eyes turned a dark, stormy green color. "You know, I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. Promise me you'll try to keep yourself safer from now on."

I looked up into his eyes and knew he was speaking the truth. "I feel the same way about you." I whispered quietly. In fact, I had been frantic when the guides had first started to play their brilliant prank. If Edward had been attacked by a crocodile, I don't know what I would have done. Somehow, his life was already so strongly enmeshed with mine, that I didn't think I could go on without him.

I leaned my head into his chest and felt his arms wrap around me. We sat on the banks of the Nile River and watched the beautiful African sunset together, savoring the closeness of one another.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

AN: Thanks to everyone for waiting so patiently for this update. They may be a little slower coming from now on because I just found out I'm pregnant, and am already pretty ill. I promise to update as often as I can, though! I have already written a good outline for the next few chapters, so I know exactly where the story is heading. If you want to check out another good story-check out Going for the Gold. I'm co-writing it with Bethaboo! It's really good, very different than this one though!

BPOV

"Why don't they just have normal cans of spaghetti sauce? Now I get to figure out how to make my own from scratch as well as cook outside over an open fire." I heard a snicker behind me and was tempted to turn around and give the contributor a swift kick in the shins. It was because of him were were in this situation in the first place.

"Bella, you know I'm planning on helping you, right?" Edward asked, trying to placate me.

I whirled around, shooting him my best angry Bella glare. "You be quiet. It's because of you and your bright ideas that we are in this mess in the first place," I sneered.

"Whoa. Just calm down. It can't be all that bad," Edward soothed, hands held up in surrender.

"Oh, yes it can," I raved back at him. "That stove you saw in the kitchen? Just decoration. It is far too costly for them to use electricity here, so they conserve it when they can. We, my dear friend, will be cooking outside over a fire. So, unless you were a boy scout, I'd say we're in trouble."

I watched as he paled, the look on his face comical. "Um...no, I've never even been camping."

I looked at him in shock. I'd never met anyone who had never been camping before. This revelation knocked the ire right out of me as I began to giggle. So, he wasn't perfect after all. "You've never been camping? What planet did you grow up on anyway?" I asked, still smothering my giggles.

"You wouldn't have gone camping if you knew my family either," he replied defensively. "You just wait until you meet my sister Alice. She hates dirt and would die if she had to go more than one night without washing her hair."

"Okay, so you weren't a boy scout. We're definitely screwed," I moaned.

"Wait! We could just cook some meat. It couldn't be that different than barbecuing," he declared triumphantly.

"Except that you so brilliantly told Sarah that we are going to make our own, American-style spaghetti," I sniped.

"Well, I couldn't let them go on thinking that frying spaghetti noodles was the way to go," he shuddered.

"Right, so you signed us up as Chefs Bella and Edward—brilliant idea, really," I muttered sarcastically at him. Despite my outwardly antagonistic display, I secretly was quite pleased at how Edward had thrown himself into making friends with the Mayanja family. Sara loved him, possibly even more than me, Hajji enjoyed having discussions with him, and the boys had a blast playing soccer with him the day before. I'd even come across him reading a story to Latifah, and my heart had melted at the sight.

I sighed. So Edward wasn't perfect—he couldn't camp _or _cook, but he seemed to charm every soul he came in contact with, me included of course. "Fine," I said, directing him to the next aisle over, "I'm putting you in charge of the noodles and garlic bread. I hope you can manage that." I stuck my tongue out at him, smacked him lightly on the arm, then ran away before he could retaliate.

I stepped back as the fire in the pit blazed out of control, shrieking at Edward. "You aren't supposed to just squirt lighter fluid on the fire! Who knew that you were a pyromaniac under that handsome exterior?"

It was true, Edward Cullen was slowly revealing his flaws to me, and the greatest was that he loved fire. I'd seen the gleam in his eyes as he'd gathered the wood for the pit, but it wasn't apparent to me until he had liberally sprayed it with a whole liter of lighter fluid, then dropped a match on it. I was still thanking God that we hadn't caused an explosion.

Just as the flames died down to manageable levels, I turned around to grab the metal grill they usually placed over the pit for cooking with pots and pans. When I turned back, it was to see Edward, a maniacal smile on his face, holding up the bottle of lighter fluid and spraying the liquid furiously into the fire.

"What are you doing?" I screeched, as my eyes widened in horror. Seeing the danger, I grasped Edward by the shirt and yanked him backwards, just as flames whooshed out of the pit and engulfed the area that his legs had just been in. Unfortunately, when I'd stepped back, my legs had become tangled in the pans I'd dropped during my efforts to save him, and I found myself falling backwards. I wrapped my arms around his waist, praying that he'd be able to stop us, otherwise I was about to become a Bella sandwich.

Miraculously, Edward managed to turn us in mid-air, and I dimly heard a grunt as his body connected with the ground, followed by my own slamming into him on top. A strange squishing sound came from beneath him and I raised my head to look into his dazed eyes. "Are you okay?" I asked frantically, running my hands over his chest and face, then reaching behind his head to feel for bumps or blood. It would be just my luck to have caused a concussion.

I shuddered in horror when my fingers encountered a strange, sticky substance—_blood, _I thought in horror, feeling faint at the thought. "Bella?" Edward's distraught voice brought me to my senses. He was the one that was hurting, not me. I'd feel sorry for myself later.

"It's alright. I'll get you the help you need, just stay calm," Edward sat up and pulled my legs over so I was sitting on his lap. Belatedly, I realized that he was talking to me, thinking that I was the one that was hurt. He was running his hands over my cheek bones, my neck, and my collarbones. I flushed as I realized where he'd be heading next. Wanting to save him the embarrassment later one, when he realized that I was perfectly fine and he'd just felt me up, I decided I'd better speak up, although part of me relished his hands on my skin and I wanted his caresses to go on forever.

"Edward," I said, pushing his hands away, "I'm alright, really. You're hurt though...bleeding. I felt it," I accused.

"I'm...fine?" he questioned hesitantly, almost shocked. For the first time, I looked at my hands. Instead of encountering the rust red color I'd expected, I was surprised to see a strange white mush covering my fingertips. Eyes wide, I looked over Edward's shoulder, not knowing what I'd find and was instantly overcome with mirth. We had fallen on the pile of matooke bananas that Sara had brought out to cook for the children, thinking they wouldn't like spaghetti. I giggled helplessly as I noticed that no longer were they the small, green bananas I was so used to seeing everywhere, but they were mashed hopelessly, the white inner flesh oozing out of the broken peels.

"Bella?" Edward questioned, following my gaze. Soon, he too was laughing hysterically, overwhelmed by our silly situation. His forehead came to rest against my own, and we giggled helplessly, arms wrapped around each other for support.

Suddenly, the close proximity of our bodies to one another registered, and we both stopped short, pulling back to stare at each other. I became aware of an electrical current running between us, and my breath quickened as his eyes darkened. Slowly, he leaned closer, and I knew that he was going to kiss me. My eyes drifted closed as his lips neared mine, close enough now that I could feel the heat of his breath brush over them.

"Edward, Bella? What happened here?" Sara's voice intruded in the moment.

Abruptly I realized that I was sitting on Edward's lap, and I scrambled off, offering him my hand to pull him up as well. I avoided his eyes, not knowing how to react, and leaving out the part about psycho pyro Edward, I told Sara I had tripped. She nodded, too used to my clumsiness to question anything else.

I directed my attention to dinner as Edward ran off to shower and change, studiously ignoring Sara's questioning looks in my direction. Every so often, she'd take a big gulp of air in, open her mouth to speak, then close it and sigh. I knew she wanted to question me, and after the sixth time, I'd had enough.

"What, Sarah? Just say it," I growled, then realizing how disrespectful I sounded, I sent her an apologetic glance and sheepish smile.

"Do you like Edward?" Sara didn't beat around the bush at all. I should have expected this. My very astute host mom had a tendency to notice things that no one else saw and bring them out in the open in a very no nonsense fashion.

"I...I..well, I guess I do," I stuttered. This was the first time I'd been truly honest with myself. Of course I liked him. Who wouldn't? He was kind, respectful, protective, thoughtful, and loving, the hottest man I'd ever laid eyes on—everything I'd ever wanted in a man. Of course he also couldn't cook and camp, but I was a pretty good chef and camping could be learned behavior. There was the small detail of him being so fascinated by fire, though. I shuddered and made a mental note to keep all matches and lighters away from him in the future.

Sara nodded at my revelation. "He likes you too." I couldn't help the sudden elation I felt upon hearing her words, but I squelched the feelings back down. Of course Sara would say that. She'd been pestering me to get married since I'd first known her—letter after letter and email after email, commanding me to meet someone and send her an invitation so she could come to see me happily settled.

He'd almost kissed me, however. I wondered if it was a reaction of the moment—near miss of catching fire, combined with falling headfirst on the cement, and coming out perfectly fine. Maybe that is how he celebrated things like that. He couldn't possibly like a clumsy, plain girl like me, could he?

"Aren't we supposed to be doing some cooking here?" I jumped at the sound of Edward's cheerful voice. He'd come back outside and caught me staring off into space. I blushed at his questioning, yet curiously intense look and turned around to busy myself with creating my special sauce.

"Pots over there," I said turning around once I'd calmed my raging emotions. I pointed to the dark corner of the outside hut used as a makeshift kitchen. "You do know how to make spaghetti noodles, right?" I wondered.

"I think I can manage," Edward replied dryly, winking at me as he went to fetch the pot.

"Just be careful with that fire!" I cautioned. Thinking it might be a wise move, I went over and grabbed the bottle of remaining lighter fluid, and hid it behind a bush before he could turn around and dashed back to my own pot of sauce. I pasted an innocent expression on my face and began adding the spices and seasonings.

"Hey," I heard Edward exclaim behind me, a petulant note to his voice, "what happened to my fire?"

I spun around, expecting to see the flames petering out, but was startled to see normal flames licking the bottom of the wire grilling frame. It was a perfectly normal cooking fire.

"Edward, it's just fine. You don't need the whole pot to be engulfed in flames," I sighed, exasperated.

"Just a little bit higher?" he pleaded with me, a boyish pout on his face.

"No, I don't want another raging inferno. The last thing we need to do is set the village on fire," I said in my best no-nonsense voice.

"Alright. It won't be my fault if the spaghetti takes forever to cook though," he whined before setting the pot on the racks. Finally satisfied that he'd given up his quest for brilliant conflagration, I concentrated on the sauce, adding the last few ingredients, stirring, then placed it next to his pot of water.

EPOV

I placed my plate full of spaghetti and garlic bread on the table and ran back to the kitchen for my soda of choice--Krest Bitter Lemon. As I sat down, Bella scrunched up her adorable little nose at me. "What?" I asked, slightly offended. I hadn't turned her off that bad with my fire antics, had I? I'd always been fascinated by fire, it was just so uncontrollable and wild.

Maybe it was the near kiss. I'd wanted to kiss those laughing lips of hers so badly, to taste their heavenly taste. It was one of the greatest desires I'd ever had, almost a need. When Sara had interrupted, I'd almost yelled out of frustration. Maybe Bella didn't like me as much as I liked her. The thought almost tore me in two.

"How can you drink that stuff?" she asked, finally answering me, and once again wrinkling her nose. Relief filled my entire being. So she wasn't upset with me! She just hated my choice of beverage. I almost smiled in elation, but managed to contain myself at the last moment.

"It's good. I've always like lemony stuff, probably even in the womb. My mom told me she craved lemons with salt on them when she was pregnant with me," I answered, teasing her a little bit.

"Really? Your poor mother," she mumbled.

"Well, why don't we try our masterpiece?" I was starving. We all had set our plates around the big table—Sara, Hajji, Bella, and myself.

I was the first to take a bite. I had to admit, I'd cooked the spaghetti noodles to perfection—the second time around. The first time, I'd somehow managed to burn them and Bella had made me throw them out and start again.

I piled on Bella's delicious smelling sauce, grabbed a bite of garlic bread, and took a huge bite. Crunch—that wasn't exactly the sound the bread was supposed to make. Everyone looked at me in shock and I registered that somehow, I'd bitten into a clump of dirt hidden within the bread. Not wanting to spit it out, I chewed it up carefully and swallowed, somehow managing to keep it down.

Everyone was still watching me with varying expressions on their faces. Sara's looked horrified, Hajji looked like he was trying to ignore my embarrassing situation, and Bella looked amused. And for a moment I'd been thinking that I'd done a great job on the bread!

Bella finally leaned over and whispered in my ear after a prolonged moment of silence. "It's not your fault. Dirt gets into the oddest places here. There's been many a time that I've taken a bite into a clump of dirt in my bread," she smiled reassuringly at me. I instantly felt better. So I wasn't completely inept, at least. I picked up a forkful of my spaghetti and took a bite—delicious, just as I'd thought it would be when I'd come up with the idea in place.

I stood just inside the pristine US Embassy. The white, shiny floors were certainly the cleanest I'd seen here in Uganda, and I wondered just how long they spent cleaning them each night after closing since they didn't have the reddish tint that was so prominent on all walls and floors here.

I glanced over at Bella, thankful that her eyes no longer carried the glint of tears in them. She'd become visibly upset when we'd said goodbye to the Mayanjas this morning, and had been pretty quiet ever since. When I'd promised her that we would come back to visit soon, she had smiled and seemed to brighten up a bit. Unable to help myself, I'd wrapped my arms around her in comfort, yet comfort was the farthest thing from my mind. Something about this girl made me want to hold on to her and never let go. She touched a part of me that I hadn't known existed before her, and part of me was scared, yet I was unable to do anything about it. Being near her was a compulsion that I wasn't about to deny.

As I was considering just what this might mean, the doors to the building opened and in walked an odd looking couple. The woman was taller than average, slim, and pretty. Her long brunette hair reminded me of Bella's, though it wasn't quite as lustrous. It was the man that had caught my attention and caused me to label them odd. He was shorter than her by about 4 inches, very skinny, and had thinning mousy brown hair. The couple was holding hands and looking gloriously happy, despite the curious looks they were getting.

The couple walked right up to where Bella and I were sitting, our luggage piled high next to us. I assumed they were who we were waiting for.

"Edward, Bella?" The brunette stepped forward, hand outstretched, with a welcoming smile on her face. I stood up to greet her.

"Yes, that's us," I answered, smiling back at her and shaking her hand. Bella followed suit next to me.

"I'm Dr. Angela Weber and this is my fiancée, Ben. You'll be taking our places at the clinic. It's so good to meet you! We'll get your bags loaded up and be one our way. Is there anyplace you need to stop in Kampala before we head out?" She reminded me of Bella, the way she chattered on without stopping for an answer. I briefly wondered about her and Ben. I assumed that he was the nurse based off the introductions, and I was curious whether they met here or if they knew each other beforehand.

Once we were all settled in the small car, our luggage piled in the trunk and some tied to the top, we were able to learn more about our duties at the clinic. "You'll be working long hours during the week, and occasionally during the weekend if there is a need. The clinic opens at dawn and will close at sundown. We don't stay open after dark for safety reasons," Angela explained. "Rose, who is the person who keeps it all running, is also a nurse. She's the reason that you can take the weekends off because she takes over the clinic. She knows almost as much as doctor with a degree, and is very capable in any situation. She only comes in on the weekends though, so during the week you're on your own. She'll oversee the clinic anytime that you're away. Every couple months, it is recommended that you take a trip away from it all for a long weekend. There are many places you don't want to miss around here, so make sure you see it all."

Throughout the rest of our bumpy, eight hour journey, Angela and Ben kept up a steady stream of instructions and advice. While I was incredibly grateful for their help, all I wanted to do was gaze out the window in awe. The scenery was so magnificent at times—mountainous regions with forests similar to those I could see in many states back home, other times the deep green of a rainforest filled my view as we passed—yet, other times it was so vast and empty, the African plains never ending with only tall grasses and the occasional acacia tree to break the monotony. It was hard to believe that we were crossing only one country, and not a large one, either. Uganda was roughly the size of Oregon, yet filled with such a differing landscape. I knew to the far west, near the Congo border, were the Rwenzori Mountains, an icy cold, snow region.

Often, in the small villages and cities, we'd pass women carrying all manner of objects on their heads off to the side of the road. They carried jugs of precious water, baskets of goods, even large tree branches and bundles of brush, all the while walking seamlessly in a line, never stopping to rest. The women in Uganda were the hardest workers I'd ever met. They had all the usual duties of a mother, yet so many more. They cleaned the house (or hut), from top to bottom every day, hand washed all the laundry, sent the children off to school, hoed and weeded their own gardens, made the bricks, went off to market, and still managed to be at every beck and call of their husbands. They never tired, never ceased their work.

While the men were also hard workers, most trying endlessly to scrape out a meager existence, they had it easy in comparison. When their day at work was finished, they came home to be waited on hand and foot by their wives. If dinner wasn't on the table, many chose to beat their wives as punishment.

The wives accepted it. This was all they'd ever known. Not every Ugandan man was this way, but Bella had told me that quite a few were. It was all a reality of life for many Ugandan women. I compared their culture to the way I'd been taught by my mother. It was ingrained in me to be protective and a gentlemen every moment I was around women. Bella had told me how grateful she was to have been born in the United States, and I had to agree with her. How did we get to be the lucky ones?

Finally, after quite a few pit stops and a long nap, we pulled into the dusty little town of Kitgum, Uganda. The sun had gone down hours before, and not a soul was visible. The only light in the darkened town was coming from a few windows and our headlights. We pulled of onto yet another dirt road, and drove a few kilometers before pulling up in front of a moderately sized building. It was surrounded by a heavy iron fence with actually spikes on top. The gate was padlocked, and Angela hopped out to open it using a key.

We drove in the gates and up to the white building. The windows all had iron bars on them, with metal shutters. There were small, black painted letters that said _Medical Clinic_ over the front door. I'd already asked Bella why everything was printed in English when most people spoke a tribal dialect, and she'd answered that English was the official language of the country, so everything was required to be written in it, so it was unsurprising to me that the sign didn't include Luo or any other common languages for the area.

Angela once again hopped out and unlocked the heavily padlocked, iron door as Ben parked the car inside a small, detached garage. I hopped out and grabbed the luggage out of the trunk, walking over to pile each bag on the porch before grabbing the next one. Finally, we had them out of the garage, and Ben closed it, locking it once again. Together, we grabbed each bag, and carried them inside the darkened room, through the doorway and up a flight of stairs until we had them piled in the tiny living room of the upstairs apartment Bella and I would share. We repeated this process until everything was inside, then sat on the couch for a moment to rest.

Bella and Angela had grabbed us some bottles of water and tossed them to us before going back downstairs. I heard the clanking sounds of the iron door being shut and locked, then chained shut as well. Somehow, it made me feel safer in this unknown, often barbaric part of the world.

BPOV

I waited as patiently as I could for Edward to finish resting. Angela and Ben were going to give us the tour and final instructions. They'd be hopping on a taxi the next morning and head off for a quick safari in Kenya, then home to plan their wedding. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the swiftness of their departure, lost and anxious, yet she had assured me that we could handle it. This was what I was trained to do, after all.

We sat in the now lightened interior. The clinic was small, but it was as I expected. The waiting room was lined with several folding metal chairs, an end table, and a small children's area that included some worn dolls, a few old toy trucks, and one, tiny wooden rocking chair. A door separated it from the rest of the clinic, which I was anxiously waiting to see.

Finally, Edward came downstairs and I jumped up eager to start. Angela and Ben showed us the waiting room procedure. They usually saw to the most in need first, then progressed to the least urgent. The patients were required to pay if they could, and often used vegetables and other goods as means of barter. If they couldn't pay, generally they were asked to volunteer in the clinic for awhile if they were adults, or the parents of sick children were asked to help. All immunization shots were free.

They led us through the door I'd noticed and into a small hallway with three more doors. The door to the right opened up into a small supply closet with gauzes, syringes, medicines, and other medical supplies needed to run a clinic. It was locked and could only be opened by a specific key. Only Edward, Rose, and I would have the copies.

The other two doors led to two, very small examination rooms. A hard wood table, similar to the size of most doctors' examination tables back home, took up the majority of the space inside the room. There was a small counter top with a sink and an electric hot plate off to the side. Angela told us that they boiled any water needed to clean a wound or treat a patient. They tried to keep bottles of boiled water in their fridge upstairs, just in case there was a power outage, which was quite common.

There was no bathroom. Ben explained that the patients would have to use the pit latrines located about a fourth a mile from the compound. Less diseases to spread around in a place that was already difficult to keep clean.

After the grand tour of the clinic, they led us up the stairs back to the living area. There was a tiny kitchen with a small stove, 1970's style refrigerator, and a small metal card table with two folding chairs. A few cracked plates, bowls and glasses lined the sparse cupboards. The fridge held a few water bottles marked _clinic, _a pineapple, and some regular bottled water—nothing else.

"Sorry the cupboards are a little sparse," Ben apologized. "We've been so busy saying goodbye to everyone, making our travel arrangements, and finishing up a few cases, that we've had no time to restock for you."

"Oh, it's okay," Edward replied. "It'll be fun to tour the town tomorrow and get a feel for things." Since the next day was Sunday, we'd decided to help Rose out a little and figure out how things were run, then go out and explore our new home. We followed them into the living room.

It hosted one small, ratty sofa big enough for two, a warped coffee table, and a coat rack. The other rooms were just as bare. There was two small bedrooms, each with a small, twin bed, nightstand and small dresser. The windows here were barred and also had the option of metal shutters, I assumed for extra safety and precaution.

There was a bathroom, which I was extremely grateful for. The toilet flushed and the shower actually worked. It was an even smaller version of Sara's and, like hers had no shower curtain. I wondered how the water would stay inside and not on the bathroom floor. It didn't matter if I soaked the floor every morning though, I'd use it faithfully, I thought reverently. Anything to keep the red, Ugandan dust at bay.

I went back out on the sofa and sat next to Edward. Angela and Ben sat on the floor holding hands. We all talked for awhile, Edward and I asking question after question until we were satisfied we could handle things on our own. With a start, I realized that it was four in the morning and we were still awake.

"Oh, I didn't realize it was so late! I'm sorry for keeping you up," I told them, getting to my feet.

"It's okay. We have to catch the earliest taxi out anyways. We have a flight to Kenya to catch and don't want to miss it," Ben assured me. "In fact, we'd better head out right now so we don't miss the taxi." He stepped forward and handed us each a ring of keys. Each one bore a label on it—_front gate, garage, clinic, and apartment._

"Thanks for everything," Edward said next to me, getting to his feet to shake their hands. I smiled my thanks as well.

Suddenly I realized that they'd only picked up two small backpacks by the door. Startled, I realized this was their only luggage. Seeing my dazed look, Angela explained, "Oh, you'll leave here with very little as well. What you don't use, you'll give away. They need it more than us."

I remembered when I had left before. I'd come home with barely enough clothes to get me through my stint in Europe. I nodded in understanding.

We walked them to out the door, unlocking the iron padlock, then out the gate and repeated the procedure. As we shut the gate behind them and locked ourselves in, a feeling of isolation came over me. The responsibility of this clinic was in our hands now, and I hoped that we could handle it.

Edward watched them walk away for a moment, then turned around and grabbed my hand, smiling comfortingly at me. "So, it's just you and me," he said, giving my hand a tight squeeze.

"Yep, just you and me," I replied, thankful for his presence. We slowly walked together inside the clinic and up the stairs to our apartment.

"So, which room would you like?" Edward questioned.

_The same one you're in, _I thought. I knew I would miss him sleeping across from me. Instead, I answered, "I don't care. They're both the same. How about you take the one closest to the door?"

"Sure," he answered, "just make sure you tell me if you need anything."

I nodded, and without bothering to grab my bag or a change of clothes, walked wearily into my room. Unable to bear another door between Edward and I, I left mine open and collapsed onto the lumpy bed and closed my eyes. Sure enough, I missed his presence already. I couldn't hear his breathing, nor the rustling of the blankets as he turned in his sleep. I only hoped that I'd get used to sleeping in a room by myself again soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing everyone! I'm glad that you all like it. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was incredibly hard to write, but I ended up loving it and I hope you do too! Please review and let me know what you think.**

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EPOV

I woke up to the bright sun shining in my eyes. Blinking a few times, I shielded them from the light until they'd adjusted enough for me to see. Sitting up, I glanced around the room only to feel bereft. Bella wasn't lying a few feet away from me anymore. She was down the hall. Away from me. I couldn't see her first thing in the morning as I opened my eyes or hear her mumble silly things in her sleep. I missed her terribly, more than I would have even thought possible after only one week of sharing a room.

I sighed and rolled over to glance at my watch on the nightstand. 11:00 AM? I sat up quickly. While we'd needed some sleep, I hadn't planned on sleeping half the day away. There was too much to do today. I grabbed a shirt and put it on, pulled on some jeans, and ran down the hall to see if Bella was still sleeping. I was surprised to find her door open wide, and peered in, expecting her to be awake. I caught my breath at the sight that greeted me.

Bella lay with her head on the pillow, hair strewn around her like a cloud. She was curled up on her side, snuggled into the blankets almost like a little child. Her soft lips were parted softly and her eyelashes fanned over her cheekbones. It was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen. I wanted to go to her and kiss her awake, watch her open her eyes and smile at me in welcome.

Instead I walked quietly into her room and knelt by the bed. Brushing my fingers over her cheek, I softly whispered her name. "Bella, it's time to get up," I said, wanting to be doing so much more than just stroking her cheek with my fingers.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at me in confusion for a moment. "Edward? What time is it?" she asked, putting her hand over my fingers, which had unconsciously lingered on her cheek. Heaven. That's all I could think of. It was heaven being this close to her, touching her, and having her touch me in return. I closed my eyes in bliss, but soon realized that she was still talking to me, and I'd missed every word she'd said.

"Oh," I replied, opening my eyes, "it's eleven. I thought we might want to get up and ready. There's lots to do and I bet that this mysterious Rose has already opened the clinic. Might as well get a feel for things around here." I stood up, a little embarrassed that I'd kept my hand on her face for so long.

Trying to shrug it off, I stood and looked out the window for a minute. The sun was brightly shining over the red, dusty earth. There was sparse vegetation around here, nothing like the tropical lushness I'd grown used to in the central part of Uganda. A few Acacias, and other trees I couldn't identify could be seholden spaced intermittently, and some dry grasses sprouted out of the ground. This was the Africa that I'd pictured, the kind that you'd see on Discovery Channel specials on game parks and villages. There was no trace of the larger houses that could occasionally be seen in Mukono or Kampala. Besides a few faraway rundown buildings, the clinic was the only other wood building in sight. Mud huts looked to be the standard of living here, more so than in the southern part of the country.

"It's different here, huh?" I turned to see Bella come up behind me and nodded at her question. "It's because of what they face with the LRA attacking so often. No one wants to live here, and people are fleeing at astronomical rates. It really effects the economy. I'm sure Central Uganda looked similar to this 20 years ago, possibly worse."

I'd read of Uganda's bloody history as soon as I'd gotten this assignment, so I knew she was speaking of Idi Amin and Milton Abote and their murderous regimes, and I shuddered thinking of what this country had gone through in the last 25 years or so. I was fast realizing just how ignorant I'd been all my life, learning just the minimum of facts that they'd taught in public schools and college about the world, not desiring to go beyond that and learn more for myself.

"Why don't you go get ready? I'll be out in a sec, and then we'll go down to the clinic. Do you think there's anything to eat, or do we need to go to the market today?" Bella broke into my thoughts, and effectively shooed me out the door. I wandered to the kitchen to look for some breakfast. All I came up with were a few Sprites, a mango and some strange crackers or cookies called NICE Biscuits. I decided to wait on Bella before eating.

Sooner than I'd expected, she came skipping into the room. Unfortunately there was a piece of linoleum sticking up, and she tripped over it. I was able to catch her just in time, and wrapped my arms around her in a hug.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly, looking up at me and smiling. Her hair was swept back in a simple ponytail, and she wore a wraparound woven skirt she'd bought in the marketplace a few days back and topped it with a plain white shirt. As always, even dressed so simple, she took my breath away. I wondered how she'd really impact me if she made an effort.

"No problem," I answered finally, breaking the spell. I released her and sat her down at the small card table, flourishing our goods. "So, we have some Sprite, a mango and these strange biscuit things," I began, only to be cut off by a squeal.

"NICE biscuits," she breathed reverently, taking them out of my hand. "I've missed these." She began tearing the paper off the small package, and I could see a few rectangular cookie covered in large granules of sugar displayed. The faint smell of coconut permeated the room as she finished unwrapping the paper. Handing one of the biscuits to me, she took one herself and took a large bite. I watched her eat every last crumb, struck dumb at the bliss that crossed her face. She finished every last cookie, then began eyeing mine with intent. "Aren't you going to eat that?"

"Oh, uh yes," I stammered, finally realizing I'd been staring at her as she ate. I took a bite and my eyes widened. The cookies were good. The granules of sugar didn't make them too sweet as I'd suspected they would, and only enhanced the coconut flavor. We'd definitely have to buy some of these if we could find them at the market. "These are good!" I exclaimed when I'd finished, and eyed the rest of the wrappings on the table in front of Bella. I glared at her and she smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. Guess I got a bit carried away. I'll buy you your very own package when we go to the market later." She smiled at me, and I forgave her instantly. Of course it was impossible to stay mad at her very long.

"Fine, but we'd better get downstairs. I reached for her hand and pulled her up, tugging her to the door. Ready partner?" I asked, giving her my best grin.

"Ready. Let's do this," she answered, not hesitating the least bit. We opened the door, and walked down the stairs together.

BPOV  
We opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, and I stepped back in shock at the unexpected sight. A tall woman with long blonde hair was saying goodbye to a young boy at the door. She had the body of a model, and I briefly wondered what the heck she was doing out here in the Ugandan bush working at a medical clinic. She turned and that question only got fuzzier. She was gorgeous. She had one of the most beautiful faces I'd ever seen, and piercing blue eyes. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped, and she had high cheekbones and rosy lips. Even from the distance, I could see she wore no makeup, but of course she didn't need it. Even though I'd never really worried about my looks before, I felt almost dumpy in comparison.

So, this was Rose. Somehow I'd been expecting a Ugandan native, not someone who looked like she'd dropped off the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. I blinked in shock as she stepped forward and I looked up at Edward to gauge his reaction. He seemed a bit shocked, but not as dumbstruck as I, and I was strangely glad to note that he'd kept his hand wrapped around mine.

"Hi, I'm Rosalie Hale, but call me Rose. You must be Bella and Edward," she said with a slight accent I couldn't place and held out her hand to us. I shook her hand, and she directed us to the chairs in the waiting room. "Why don't we chat awhile since we aren't busy. Since we'll be working together, I'm sure you have some questions."

We sat down together, and once again I was happy that Edward chose to sit next to me and even kept my hand. It was almost as if he was trying to reassure me and I was grateful for that. Rose spoke first. "So, you're probably wondering what I'm doing out here in the middle of nowhere," she began. My thoughts exactly.

"My parents have always been ambassadors for the United States, so I'm just as American as you two, actually. We've lived all over the world--Australia, South America, Germany, The Phillipines. When I was 17, they were assigned to Uganda. I fell in love with this country, and when it was time for my parents to move on, I was eighteen. I have a twin brother who felt the same way, so we stayed, both getting our degrees from Makerere University. I have a nursing degree and work in a small hospital near Queen Elizabeth National Park. He's a bush pilot, and also a guide for many safaris. I'm actually working on getting my medical degree now, but its slow going. I've been working here at the clinic for Angela and Ben ever since I met them when they stopped in for a hospital tour about a month after arriving in Uganda. So, that's me in a nutshell," she finished.

I was in awe. She'd led an amazing life, and I was slightly jealous of the adventures she'd managed to have. "Wow," I breathed. I had a feeling she and I would become close friends. I'd finally have someone to live vicariously through at the least. She'd done everything in her life that I'd always wanted to do, and I was already dying to question her about all the places she'd lived.

"So now that I've told you about me, how about the two of you tell me a little bit about you. Then I'll explain anything you need to know about the clinic." The next half hour was filled with chit chat. We got to know Rose a little better, and she found out about us. We were interrupted when the clinic door creaked open. A young girl poked her head around, looking a bit apprehensive. She had a shawl tied around her waist, and on her back was a tiny infant, eyes sunk into a gaunt little face.

"Adwaro Kony," she said desparately looking at us with wide, heartfelt eyes. "My sister. I need help," she explained in hesitant English, reaching around and pulling the infant from her back. That baby was listless, and the blankets it was bundled in were stained. Edward stepped forward and she held the baby out to him. He took the baby in gentle arms, and beckoned me forward. Handing the baby over to me, he directed me to go to a examining room with her while he and Rose talked to the young girl for some more information.

I took the tiny baby in the back and slowly unwrapped the blankets around her. She was extremely thin with none of the normal baby fat seen on healthy babies. She was also tiny, probably not an ounce over 5 pounds I guessed. I noticed dark stains on the blankets, which was bad. The baby obviously wasn't keeping in any nutrients and that probably meant dysentary or something else. Every now and then, she'd let out a tiny whimper, one that was so faint I could barely hear. I fought back my tears as I waited for Edward.

He walked in the room with sad eyes. "She's only a few weeks old, and already ill. The mother has AIDS, but thankfully knows not to breastfeed. Rose knows who she is, and she's been given some formula. Unfortunately, I don't think that she's been boiling the water. At least not properly. I'd be willing to bet that its dysentery, so lets do a quick test. He readied a syringe and took a small sample of her blood. I knew she was in bad shape when she didn't even cry. While we waited for the test results, which Edward performed here in the office, I gently bathed the baby, then gave her some formula mixed from the stored bottled waters in the cupboard, hoping she'd manage to keep it down.

The results came back positive. She had amoebic dysentery. Thank goodness that it wasn't something worse. Edward quickly gave her a shot of metronidazole--an anti-amoebic medicine, and then prescribed some small doses of antibiotics safe for infants, but powerful enough to rid her body of any bacterial infections resulting from her weakened immune system. We put a small disposable diaper on her, then brought her back out to see her sister. Edward carefully explained the dosage information, and the reason why the baby got sick and asked the young girl to make sure that all water was boiled from then on. He also instructed her to have the whole family wash carefully after handling the baby since dysentery can be spread rapidly from person to person.

I wondered if the young girl was capable of following these instructions and relaying them to her mother. Rose looked at me knowingly.

"She seems very young, doesn't she?" she asked me. I nodded. "She is young, but wise beyond her years. Children here have so much more responsibility. They're really like adults trapped in a child's body. They have to be to survive."

I had to agree with her. "They grow up really fast, don't they?" She smiled sadly.

The young girl finished getting her directions from Edward, and strapped the baby back on to her back. She turned to us, gratitude in her eyes. "Apwoyo," she said gratefully. We all smiled at her and watched as she left the clinic, starting the long walk back to her village.

We all looked at each other and sighed in relief. Relief that this time, at least, was something that we could handle, that our patient would hopefully get better, and we wouldn't see her back anytime soon. Sadness that there was a need for our service in the first place. Rose looked at us with sympathetic eyes. "It doesn't get easier, but I can assure it's worth it," she said softly. I nodded, and felt Edward grab my hand and give it a quick squeeze. I suddenly knew I could handle any sadness that came my way as long as he'd be there to comfort me.

"So, you guys seemed to handle that rather well. How about you go off to buy some supplies for that little apartment of yours. I'm sure you need them. Angela and Ben haven't had time to do any shopping in awhile, and I'm betting the cupboards are pretty sparse," she grinned and playfully pushed us towards the door. "I'll hold down the fort, just like most weekends, so feel free to look around and take your time."

I looked at Edward and he nodded in agreement, so we walked out the door. "Bye," I called to Rose as he shut the door.

Edward was looking speculatively at the garage. "So, how about we walk to the market this time? I'm sure its not far away and we can get a feel for the town and the people. We can always hire a boda boda or something for the way home if we buy too much."

"Sounds great!" I replied and started walking hastily towards the road. I was starving and hoped to find a small restaurant or something so we could grab something more substantial then NICE biscuits. It wasn't a long walk to the small marketplace filled with all kinds of fruits and vegetables. We walked into the small convenience store and grabbed some bread, a jar of peanut butter (called g-nut or groundnut butter here), some soup mixes, and some boxed milk that didn't require refrigeration until opening, some very expensive ketchup which I insisted on having rather than the nasty top up tomato spread that most people used, some mayonnaise, canned tuna, and of course, packages of NICE biscuits.

Outside we found some fresh eggs, which we bought a dozen of, and plenty of fresh fruits. I chose mango and pineapple and tried to discourage Edward from buying a huge jackfruit that stood out. Unfortunately I was unable to succeed, even upon informing him that he'd be eating it by himself. I chose some corn and discouraged Edward from grabbing any tomatoes or other vegetables that we could easily get worms from. We bought a few sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, but avoided buying any of the meat. I generally stayed away from meat here, and was happy that Edward didn't seem inclined to disagree with me.

When we were finally finished shopping, I looked at the pile of food at our feet. There was no way we were getting this on a boda boda. I looked hopefully around for a taxi, but didn't spot a single one. Finally in desperation, I bought a large basket with two handles. We piled everything inside, and each took a handle. Walking awkwardly through town, we slowly made our way back to the clinic.

_Two weeks later...  
_I woke up at the sound of my alarm clock, and hurried to get ready. Edward greeted me in the kitchen, toast already made and handed me over a glass of milk. I smiled at him in thanks. The last couple weeks had been tiring and difficult, but we'd managed to come up with a routine and settle into everyday life at the clinic.

Over the past few weeks, we'd only grown closer. I'd become accustomed to sharing everything with him--my random thoughts, feelings and even grumblings, and he'd taken it all in stride. In return, he'd opened up to me about his life growing up with his sister and brother--how they'd bicker, but deep down they'd do anything for one another, his desire to be like his father who was his hero, his amazing mother. We'd sit on the couch together after a particularly rough day, and hold hands, reminiscing about our family life when we were homesick or just sitting in silence when we were lost in sadness due to the tragedies we witnessed every day. He hadn't tried to kiss me again, and while I wanted it, I was content to let our relationship grow and blossom in a natural way.

This morning, I'd woken up with a feeling of dread. I had a feeling that something was going to happen. Possibly something that would break my heart. I took a deep breath and met Edward's curious gaze. "Is everything okay?" he asked gently, peering at me with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine, just woke up feeling strange," I answered eventually.

"Are you sure you're not getting sick?" He moved closer to me and put his hand on my forehead.

"I'm not getting sick! I just feel like something bad is going to happen," I assured him.

"You're sure?" he asked me, still concerned.

"Yes! Now stop acting like such a mother hen. We have patients to see to." I finished up my toast, gulped down my milk, and headed down to the clinic.

Everything flowed normal for the first part of the day. We had a few pregnant ladies in for checkups, come children in need of immunizations, and a cut that needed stitches. It was pretty routine, and quite a bit easier than other days had been. That all changed just as we were closing for the evening. We had just finished up with our last patients, effectively emptying out the waiting room, and I was going to lock up for the night. As I walked to the door, it burst open and a bloodstained man holding a small boy charged into the room.

I stepped back in horror when I noticed a machete protruding from the boys skull. The man's eyes looked wild and frantic, as he looked at me pleadingly. "Please. Save my boy," he said brokenly. My eyes watered at the desperation in his voice, but knowing I had to act professionally, I blinked them back. I directed the man to an examining room, and ran up the stairs for Edward.

He jerked the door open just as I reached it, his eyes wide and face pale. He'd obviously heard my frantic cry of his name as I'd stumbled up the stairs. "Hurry, it's a little boy. I don't even know if he's still alive or what happened," I said, pulling him down the stairs.

"Shhh, Bella. Calm down or you're not going to do him any good," he instructed, taking hold of my shoulders as we stopped in front of the examining room. I took a deep breath and nodded, finally able to pull myself together. We walked in the room to face the despairing father.

The man looked up as soon as we entered. He was still standing in the middle of the room, arms cradling his little boy. The boy was lifeless, and his wound still bled copiously. I started forward to help the man place the boy on the examining table, but Edward held me back. "Gloves," he reminded me in a whisper. I nodded. In this environment, with HIV so prevalent, it was even more essential to take every precaution.

I directed the man to lay the boy down on the bed, and Edward moved forward to examine him. I began to question the man, getting all the information I could in order to treat the wound properly. "What happened?" I asked him as gently as I could.

"It was the LRA. They came during the night. We ran for the bush to hide. We lost him," the man finished brokenly. "We thought he was taken, but still had hope. We found him this morning like this. He must have refused."

"Refused?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Refused to kill. That is how they do it. If they do not kill someone, they are punished or killed in return. Please, can you save him?"

"We'll try," I promised, looking back at Edward. The look in his eyes was bleak, and I knew that the odds were against him. "What is his name?" I asked the father.

"Joshua. He's my only son," he whispered.

"We'll do our best," I vowed once again. Knowing that we would need space to work and access, I directed him to sit in the tiny waiting room, promising that we'd get him if anything happened.

"How is he?" I asked Edward once the door shut behind him. He looked up at me with sad eyes.

"He's pretty bad. The wound is deep, and he's lost a lot of blood. If we take that machete out, he'll bleed to death in minutes. First we need to staunch the bleeding around the wound and then check the rest of his body for injuries. We'll worry about the machete last," he instructed, giving the boy a small shot of morphine to dull any pain, and then started to press cloths around the edges of the head wound.

I began checking the rest of his body for wounds, starting from the center and working my way out to his limbs. He had a stab wound on his left side, but thankfully it had missed any vital organs. Edward and I worked furiously to slow the bleeding to both wounds and after at least an hour, we eventually succeeded. We looked up at each other and smiled. Thankfully he was still alive; unfortunately, the hardest part was yet to come.

"So, I've been thinking," Edward began quietly after staring at the machete still lodged deeply in Joshua's head, "I think he'd stand a better chance if we could get him to a hospital. There will be less chance of infection and possibly blood for a transfusion once they remove this machete if we are there. Why don't you wrap some towels around his head, and we'll take care not to jostle him, and we can transport him in the car. It's taking a risk, but I think this is his best bet to survive."

I considered for a moment, then nodded my head in agreement. Edward was right. There was little hope of saving him here. He'd lost too much blood already. His pulse was slow and sluggish and we didn't have the necessary supplies to save him. To remove that machete here would be a death sentence, but we obviously couldn't leave it in. I hated to think of what kinds of bacteria had been on that machete and the infection that would insue. He was already slightly feverish and I knew we had to act quickly. An hour-long car ride to better facilities was our best chance of saving him.

"We need to talk to the father," I reminded Edward.

"I'll do it. You just wrap that wound carefully. I'm going to have you drive so I can hold him as still as possible in the back seat. I'm worried that his fever will climb and he'll start thrashing. I don't think you'll have the strength grip him tightly enough to still his movements if that happens." He left the room, and I hurried to fulfill his instructions.

Edward came back in just as I was finishing up. "The father says its fine. He's coming with us and I'll have him help me hold Joshua. Why don't you go get the car?"

I turned to go, but just as I reached for the door knob, a siren began to go off from the center of the town. My hands trembled as I turned to look at Edward. "It's the siren that warns of rebel troops. Edward, we can't go now. They're coming. It'd be a death sentence for all of us if we went out there."

EPOV

I heard the sirens, but it didn't register what that meant until Bella turned around to look at me. Her face was drained of all color and she looked ready to faint. I knew what she said was true, and we needed to act now to protect ourselves. I only hoped the boy would survive until the attack was over so we could get him better care. I had my doubts though. He was in terrible shape, and I hadn't known if he would even survive the hour-long car ride it would take to get him to the hospital. He'd been found too late and it would take a miracle for him to survive. A miracle I didn't think we were going to be granted.

Just then the door to the examining room crashed open. The father stood there, wide-eyed, panic in his eyes as he looked at us. "Hurry. We must hide," he cried, running forward to grab his son. I blocked his path.

"No. If you move him quickly, it will kill him for sure. We'll lock up the compound and pray that it discourages the rebels. I think that's our only option at this point," I instructed.

"Bella, start running around to all the windows and pulling back the shutters. Make sure they are all locked and barred. I'm going to run out and lock up the gate. Be ready to shut and padlock the front doors as soon as I come back. Keep your son company," I directed to the man before turning to race out the door. I was stopped by a touch on my arm.

Bella sent a pleading look at me as she held on to my arm. "Be careful, please. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't worry, I'll be alright," I said, before racing out the door.

I ran out the front door and raced to the gate. Already, I was beginning to hear gun shots echo in the night. I skidded to a halt and pulled the gates closed, wrapping the thick chain around the bars over and over. With shaking hands, I padlocked them into place then ran quickly back to the front door. As instructed, Bella was waiting and she slammed the iron door into place just as I stepped inside. I could hear the rattling of the chains as the padlock clicked into place. She then followed that door with the other, thin wooden door and padlocked that as well. I breathed a sigh of relief, though we certainly weren't out of danger yet.

"Are all the shutters closed and locked?" I asked, trying to steady my rapid breathing.

"No, I didn't go upstairs, I'll go do it right now," Bella answered, but I pulled her back. I didn't want Bella anywhere near windows when a bullet could easily enter.

"I'll do it. Do you think you can manage to pull one of the examining tables into the waiting room. With no windows, I think it's the safest place to be." She nodded her head, and went to do as I directed.

Upstairs, I hurriedly closed all the shutters and windows, and turned off the lights. Grabbing a few waters and snacks, I went back downstairs. The scrape of metal on the floors echoed faintly through the room as Bella tugged a table into view. I ran to help, and together we managed to pull it into the center of the room.

Suddenly the power went off. No electricity, rebels attacking the town, and a dying boy. Our situation was quickly going from bad to worse. I started as Bella pushed a flashlight into my hands, and directed her to quickly crawl under the table and went to get Joshua and his father, who looked up at me in terror as I walked in the room.

"Hurry, we need to get away from the walls," I directed as I picked the boy up gingerly in my arms. He groaned in pain and I winced. Carefully, I carried him back to our miniature barricade in the waiting room. Bella had finished stacking chairs around the table, leaving a small space for us to crawl through. I crawled beneath, then checked Joshua's pulse once again. It was slower than before, and I knew that despite our best efforts, he wouldn't survive the night.

I gently handed him back to his father, wanting to give the man a few last hours with his son then sat back. All was silent. I felt Bella reach for my hand as the explosions and screams started outside.

An hour later, our flashlight flickered out and we sat in complete darkness, unable to even see our hands in front of our faces. We sat there for hours, unable to tell the time, not knowing when our hellish situation would end. Finally, the sounds of the chaos outside began to peter out, growing more and more faint, until all we could hear was the quiet sobbing of the father and the labored breathing of his son.

Despite the retreat of the rebels, we still could do nothing for the boy, not even make him comfortable in his last moments. With no electricity and no way of seeing what we were doing, our hands were tied. The sounds of the father's sobbing grew louder as his son's breaths grew fainter and farther apart. Bella scooted closer to me and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her. Trying to comfort her. Trying to comfort myself. I felt the wetness of her tears permeate my shirt as my own began to stream down my face.

Just as the birds started to chirp in the trees, signaling a dawn that we couldn't see due to the iron shutters and doors closed tight, Joshua took one last, raspy breath, then all was quiet. I reached over and felt for a pulse. Nothing. This courageous little boy, who'd stood up for his beliefs, who'd defied the odds by surviving even a minute after the wounds he'd suffered, had finally lost the fight.

I covered my eyes, distraught that I couldn't save him, sorrow for the man who'd lost his son overwhelming me. "I'm sorry," I choked out, not knowing what to say.

"You did what you could. It is not your fault," he answered me, his voice bleak.

Suddenly the power came back on, and we all blinked in shock, letting our eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. I looked at the tear ravaged, sorrowful face of a man who had endured so much in his life. I reached over, and gently pulled the machete out of the boy's head. There was no use leaving such a monstrosity there anymore. The father blinked back some more tears, then slowly crawled out from under the table, his son cradled gently in his arms. I followed after him.

Walking over to the door, I unlocked it, opening it to reveal the bright sun, shining down brightly. It felt like the greatest hypocrisy--that the sun could shine so merrily down on such a bleak, sorrowful day. The father followed me, footsteps heavy.

"Thank you, again. You did what you could," the father told me. This wasn't the way it was supposed to me. This man was comforting me when he had just lost his child.

"You should be very proud of him," I heard Bella say behind me in a soft voice. She was looking at the father with shining, reddened eyes. "It's not every day that a child so young will stand up for what is right. You taught him well."

The man nodded stoically, then turned and walked out the door, his child held close to his chest, head lowered as he carried him home to bury him. A child that should have been healthy and running around. A child that in a better world, would still be alive.

I looked at Bella, then held out my arms, needing to hold her. She threw her arms around me and began to sob. I'd known it would be hard when I'd taken this assignment, but the reality of it hadn't hit me until this moment. The feeling that we were fighting against something that couldn't be won nearly overwhelmed me in that moment. Who could win fighting a battle against poverty, war and disease? It seemed like such a hopeless cause.

"You just do what you can and hope that you can help at least one person," Bella whispered, looking up at me. She'd obviously known what I was thinking. I tightened my arms around her waist, thankful for her presence in this world of defeat.

A noise at the door startled us. Rose was peering in, an expression of horror on her face. "Are you alright? We heard there was an attack this morning, and I came first thing to see if you needed help." She looked at our bloodstained clothes in shock.

"What happened?" she questioned, then taking in our expressions changed her mind. "Wait, tell me later. I think you both need a shower and a nap. My brother and I will run the clinic today. I went through the town before coming here, and I don't think there were many injured. Most people made it into hiding. That includes children too," she assured us.

"Okay," I said after considering. "Come get us if you need us," I said before grasping Bella's hand and turning away to walk wearily up the stairs.

As soon as we were in our apartment, I shut the door and collapsed on the small sofa. "Why don't you take a shower first," I suggested to Bella and watched her walk into her room to gather some clothes. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, trying to block out the awful memories of the previous night. I didn't even hear the shower turn on or off so I was startled when she put her hand on my shoulder. "It's your turn," she said softly and smiled sadly at me.

I took a quick shower, then lay down on my bed, trying to get comfortable. Trying to forget. I tossed and turned, but was unable to sleep. I sat up quickly when I heard the door to the room open. Bella stood here, looking like a defeated angel. She had tears in her eyes and a heartbreaking look on her face.

"Can I sleep in here?" she asked quietly. "I can't sleep and I think being in here with you will help."

I held out my arms for her in answer, and moved over to make room on the tiny twin bed. She quickly layed down next to me and I pulled her close, resting my chin on her hair. She snuggled in closer and I closed my eyes at the feelings that rushed through me. Peace. I finally felt peace. Something I didn't think would be possible after such a night. I kissed Bella on the head, noticing her breathing was already growing slower as she fell asleep. Content in holding her, I was finally able to push the memories back as I drifted off into a deep, healing sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here it is as promised....way, way, way later than expected! I apologize for the wait. I know, more excuses, but I'm pregnant and have been unbelievably ill. I think I'm through the worst of it now, thanks to modern medicine, so hopefully I'll be able to update more often now that the holidays are over! Hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

BPOV  
I dangled my legs over the side of the counter. Rose was sitting at the small table and eyeing me with a suspiciously conniving look on her face. She had arrived last night, and would be staying here during mine and Edward's mini vacation over the weekend. I was excited to be getting a break from the every day life at the clinic and taking some time off. It had been two months since the LRA had come through and I was still having nightmares occasionally. I'd never moved out of Edward's room, but after the first few nights of sleeping in his arms, he'd suggested that we move the other twin bed in.

I'd been hurt at first, but seeing the look on my face he'd explained quickly. "It's not that I don't mind sleeping with you, Bella," he reassured me. "It's just that I feel that somehow I'm taking advantage of you. I mean, you're having nightmares which is entirely normal, and I want to comfort you of course, but I'm starting to feel that maybe it's not just the desire to comfort you that is making me want to keep you in my arms." He'd blushed and dropped the subject, and no matter how hard I'd pried, no more information was divulged. I finally gave up and did what he wanted. We'd moved my bed into his room that night, and though it wasn't as pleasurable as sleeping in his arms had been, it was better than being a hallway apart. Besides, he still would crawl into bed with me when I had a nightmare and hold me until I'd fall back asleep, so I couldn't complain.

"Bella? I asked you a question. No more avoiding it," Rose's petulant whine interrupted my thoughts.

"Um, what question was that?" I asked, racking my brain for a memory of her question. Nothing. I drifted back to my thoughts of Edward's strong arms holding me and sheltering me during the darkness of the African nights. It was like all the worries and stress of the day would miraculously disappear when he held me like that.

"Bella!" Rose snapped. "Will you stop daydreaming and focus?" I looked up at her sheepishly. "Now, I asked what's going on between you and Edward. Obviously something is, as I knew it would the first day I met you."

"What, why?" I asked curiously.

"Avoiding again Bella. Besides, you should see you two. It's like you are hyper aware of each other or something. To tell you the truth, I was surprised that you had just met. Okay, so dish."

"Well, nothing is going on actually."

"You are sleeping in the same bed, aren't you?" she interrogated.

"Well, actually most of the time we aren't," I explained. We had moved my bed back into my room for Rose to sleep in last night, and so I'd gotten another excuse to snuggle up to Edward all night long. I can't say I complained about it. "We usually just have both beds in one room. I've had nightmares ever since the attack, and its the only way I can sleep," I added.

"So why the two beds? If I had the chance to sleep in the same bed with Edward, you can bet that I'd never agree to separate again," she chided.

I blushed. "It's not me. It's Edward. He somehow thinks he's not being a gentlemen or something and is taking advantage of me. Apparently his mother raised him to be a bit old fashioned."

"Well, if I were you, I'd work on changing his mind," she pressured.

"If anything is going to happen between us, it will in it's own time. I'm not going to rush anything. Besides, we've only known each other two months. So what about you? Why don't you have a boyfriend," I said quickly changing the subject.

"When would I have time," Rose answered defensively. Point taken. She was the busiest woman I knew. "Besides, I'm not about to get involved in a relationship where the man treats his woman like chattel so that leaves me with the foreigners in this country since most Ugandan men hold to their traditional views of women. Let's see--I can choose between tourists and middle aged foreign ambassadors that are usually married. Not exactly the cream of the crop."

"Okay, I see your point, but don't you ever want to be in a relationship?" I asked curiously. It seemed to me that Rose had led an extremely adventurous and interesting life, but she had no one to share it with but her brother.

"Sure, someday. Maybe next time The Peace Corps will send me my soul mate instead of someone else's," she smirked at me. I stuck my tongue out at her and jumped off the counter.

"So, when is Jasper getting here? You know, they're making some bricks for the new church up the road. I'd thought I'd help, then we can join in with the festivities afterwards."

"He won't be here tonight. Probably after you guys leave tomorrow, actually," she answered. "I'll probably come to the show tonight, though. Sounds fun."

"I'm beginning to think you made your brother up. He's like a ghost--always appearing for a few hours, and disappearing quickly before Edward and I even have a chance to meet him."

"Nope, he's real. Believe me, I put up with him my whole life. He's just very busy. By the way, next month is Thanksgiving for us Americans. I thought that maybe we could do a dinner since our families won't be here," she suggested.

"Sure, but I'm warning you, last time Edward and I attempted to cook together, it didn't turn out so well."

"Who cooks your meals now, then?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I cook them. I just don't allow Edward to help very much," I said giving Edward a sassy smile. He'd just walked into the room and frowning at my assessment of his cooking skills.

"You'd know I cook just fine if you ever let me help! One time is not enough to judge on cooking skills. Besides, you haven't tasted my macaroni and cheese yet, have you?" he answered defensively.

"Well, no. Probably because you can't get Kraft Macaroni and Cheese here," I suggested.

"Actually, I make it from scratch. My mom's recipe. So little faith in me," he clucked his tongue and shook his head.

I glanced down at my watch and gasped. "Shoot, Edward! We gotta go. They're starting any moment and I want to help!" I grabbed his hand and started tugging him to the door. "Bye Rose," I called over my shoulder. "We'll be back in a little while!"

"Just don't track mud all over the clinic floor," she instructed before shooing us out the door.

"Slow down," Edward pleaded as I raced towards our destination.

"No, we've got to hurry. I want to get a chance to make the bricks," I said breathlessly.

"Bella, what's so fun about getting all dirty and muddy?" he asked me curiously, picking up his pace to keep up with me.

"Everything," I answered excitedly. "Not only do you get to play in the mud, but you are actually making something constructive! It's the greatest feeling in the world, and you are not going to chicken out," I added, giving him my best glare.

"Okay, okay. I just don't see the point of getting filthy then having to try to get the mud stains out by hand washing. We aren't exactly pros at it."

"That's why I told you to wear your grubbiest clothes," I assured him. "Besides, I said that I'd clean your clothes for you this time so you'd do this, so no more complaining."

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EPOV  
I coudn't help but grin as Bella jumped into the mud with the enthusiasm that she tackled everything with in her life. "Come here, I'll teach you how," she called as I hesitantly took my shoes and socks off and stepped into the thick, gooey mud with her. I grimaced at the squelching beneath my feet, but continued through the sludge until I was standing next to her.

"So this is how you do it." She held up a rectangular wooden structure the general size of the bricks here. It was just four planks of wood, nailed together to form a rectangle, with a handle on each side to hold it. There was no backing to hold the mud in. I was curious as to how this would work. "So, set this on the ground and you pick up the mud with your hands. Pack it into this as tightly as you can then pick it up again. As you can see, the mud stays in. Other workers will carry it over there to dry, then bring this back to you," she said, demonstrating as she did so. As soon as the mud was packed in, a worker grabbed the wooden brick shaper from her and carried it off to the side where he shook the mud out onto the ground. True to her word, its stayed in a rectangular brick shape. "Its like clay instead of true mud, really. They'll let it dry for a week or so, then stack the bricks up with a hold in the center and light a fire inside to bake them. That's it. Pretty easy huh?" She grinned at me, handed me one of my own wooden rectangles, and waited for me to attempt it on my own.

After my first sloppy attempt, things improved and pretty soon I was whipping bricks out just as fast as she could. I didn't tell her, but I considered it a bit of a race, and perhaps she did too, because the faster I went, the faster she did. About an hour later, I made my first mistake. We had both leaned over to grab the same area of mud. I picked up my mud to smash it into my shaper and didn't notice Bella had her face right next to it. _Slam._ I heard a gasp. Looking up, I was horrified to see that Bella had a huge chunk of oozing mud sliding down her cheek. _Oops. _I really hoped that she wouldn't be mad at me.

"What was that for," she asked looking up at me. To my surprise, there was a sparkle in her eyes instead of the anger I was expecting to see.

"Um..well..accident," I finally stammered.

"Sure it was Edward. Guess I'll just have to return the favor." I took a step back as I saw her bring her hand up. It was still full of mud.

"No..wait," I protested. Too late. She released the mud and let it fly. It hit me squarely in the chest, then slid off my shirt to land at my feet. I glared at her. It was so on. I leaned over and grabbed some mud of my own and started walking menacingly forward.

"Sorry Edward. Now we're even and you really don't have to do that," she pleaded with me. I didn't listen. I reached out and caught her arm holding her still, then slowly rubbed the mud into her hair.

"Ahhhh," she squealed, twisting and turning to get away from me. Finally I released her, and she retaliated by running one of her mud covered hands down my cheekbone. Just as I was about to grab her again, I noticed the crowd of amused Ugandans looking on with knowing smiles on their faces. I decided to forgo my revenge for a later date and turned around to continue making bricks. However, Bella had different ideas. I turned around, bending over to pick up some more mud and she pounced. She jumped on my back, and still off balance from leaning over, I toppled over to land face first in the mud.

Immediately scrambling off of me, Bella jumped back and held her hand out. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't expecting that to happen," she said in a strangled voice. It was obvious she was suppressing laughter. I spat a mouthful of mud out.

Trying to act offended, I shot her my best glare. Her eyes grew serious and the sparkle left them. "I really am sorry," she assured me.

"Really?" I asked conversationally. "I'm not." And I grabbed her ankle, tugging her down next to me. I picked up a huge glob of mud in my hands and prepared to "mudwash" her, but made the mistake of looking into her laughing brown eyes. I froze, not able to bear smearing the grimy mud all over her beautiful face. We were both locked in an intense stare, niether of us aware of our surroundings, of the dozens of people standing around watching the spectacle that was our mud fight. Suddenly someone cleared their throat and we broke eye contact.

"Oops," Bella laughed, standing up and holding her hand out to me. I couldn't help but laugh in return. Her usually shiny brown hair was dripping with mud and she was dirty from head to toe. I was sure I didn't look much better.

"Guess that ends our brick making stint for the day, huh?" I asked as we stood and shook off as much mud as we could.

"Yep. So the question now is, who gets the first shower?" Bella asked mischievously, then took off running up the street to the clinic. She paused for a moment to grab her flip flops, put them on, then kept on running, giggling all the way. As she ran, I could see little droplets up mud flinging off of her skin. I hurried to catch up thinking that I would have the advantage. I was faster than her, so could easily catch up, but stopped short as I realized that she was smart enough to wear flip flops while I would have to put my tennis shoes and socks back on. I didn't want to risk hookworm if I didn't wear shoes, so I sat down to shove my feet into my shoes, then hurried after her.

When I reached the clinic, I stopped on my tracks. Bella was standing next to the clinic and Rose was dumping buckets of water over her from the pump. She looked like a drowned cat. When she heard me laughing, Bella looked up at me. "You just wait. It's your turn next! Rose said its the only way either of us are setting foot in this clinic," she spluttered.

My smile disappeared and I looked at Rose. "Yes, you too. It's a heck of a lot easier to mop up water then mud, so get in line." I took off my shoes and socks, then reluctantly waited for Bella to finish getting drenched. When it was my turn, I noticed that while Rose had been very careful about telling Bella when she was going to pour the water on her, with me she just aimed and fired. I could hardly wipe my eyes before the next wave of water would crash over me. Finally my drenching was finished and I walked soggily upstairs, defiantly tracking as much water across the clinic floor as I could.

As I walked down the hall in our apartment, the bathroom door opened and I froze. Bella stepped out wearing only a towel--a tiny towel that barely reached the tops of her thighs. I gulped and stepped backwards as she looked up at me in shock.

"Sorry," she squeaked, "I forgot my clothes and didn't have anything to change into." With that, she raced around me, ran into her room and shut the door, leaving me standing open mouthed and wide eyed, unable to move my feet if I tried. It's not that I had never recognized Bella as a woman with a beautiful body to match her loving heart, but I'd done my best to ignore it. I leaned against the wall, trying to get the images out of my head--the way the towel split slightly on the side to reveal even more of her long, shapely legs, or perhaps the vision of her walking quickly away from me, her hair pulled up on top of her head so I could see a few tendrils snaking their way down her neck. I blinked to clear my head and decided on a cold shower rather than the warm one I'd been looking forward too.

******************************************************************************************

"Bella, you are not going to walk over there alone in the dark," I protested as she reached for the front door knob. She turned around, a look of obstinacy on her face.

"I'm not walking alone Edward, Rose is coming with me. So, you can stop worrying about me and wait for Jasper already. Rose said he was going to be late, but we don't want to miss the dancing." She waved goodbye and walked out the door without even waiting for me to answer. I had been a bit overprotective with her lately following the LRA incident, but how else did she expect me to act? It wasn't as if we were in the safest of countries, and I didn't want her to end up in trouble.

I sighed and went to my room to grab a book. I had been assigned to wait for Rose's mysterious brother Jasper. Somehow, despite being in the same place several different times, Bella and I had never managed to meet him. He was running late and since Rose and Bella hadn't wanted to miss any of the festivities, I was the logical choice for greeter. I sat on the couch with one of my medical books, but found it hard to concentrate. Instead, my mind kept shifting to Bella. Memories of her running through the Heathrow Airport at full speed, exuberantly greeting her Ugandan family, white water rafting The Nile, and our mud fight this afternoon kept running through my head. She had a wild, adventurous side, but also a nurturing, tender side that I'd rarely seen in women. I thought back to the time I'd caught her singing to Latifah, or when she cried for the mother who couldn't care for her child. With her tender compassion, she won the hearts of every person who came through our clinic doors and I could see exactly why she had chosen to become a nurse.

Once again the memory I'd been trying hard to avoid flashed into my mind. Bella running down the hall, draped in nothing but a towel. Something I was trying hard to forget. I wanted to keep things professional between Bella and I. Didn't I? I thought long and hard about that. The answer was painfully obvious. It was already past that. While I didn't know exactly how I felt about her, I knew that having her in my life was as imperative to me as breathing. So what was I going to do about it? This was something that I was going to have to really think about, but first I had to determine exactly what my feelings toward her were. Sure, she was my friend, my best friend if I were truly honest with myself, but I was also attracted to her. Very attracted to her. And not only to her body, but to her mind and her heart. But what did this mean?

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I opened it to reveal a blonde man about my height standing on the other side. "Jasper Hale," he said, reaching his arm out to shake my hand.

"Edward Cullen," I answered and invited him in. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"So where are Rose and this Bella that I've been hearing so much about?" he asked, and I felt an instant flash of jealousy. An emotion that was entirely unfamiliar to me. _He's just being friendly_, I reminded myself and forced a smile.

"They already went down to the primary school. I guess there's a local celebration going on--dancing and singing of some sort. Should be interesting," I explained.

"Well, let's go then. I'll just leave my stuff here in the living room if you don't mind," Jasper answered. He had a slight accent that hinted at all the places he'd lived over the years.

He placed his bags on the floor and ran down the stairs. I quickly shut and locked the door behind him and then padlocked the front door. Soon we were walking down the dusty red dirt road towards the small brick schoolhouse. I could already hear the rambunctious crowd singing and dancing inside.

We walked into the darkened building lit with lanterns. The makeshift desks and benches had been pushed to the walls of the large communal room and a dance floor was created in the center. Bella and Rose were sitting on the far side of the room watching the traditional dancing of the women. Somehow, the women managed to move their hips and feet, keeping their entire upper half still. It was an amazing sight. The colorful fabrics of the busuti, the traditional Ugandan dress of women, and the colorful head scarfs brightened the room as the women swayed to the music the drummers and singers were making.

I began making my way around the crowded room until I reached the desk next to Bella. Sitting down, I leaned over and whispered hi.

She didn't even break her eye contact with the dancers, but started chattering back. "Isn't it amazing. Sarah tried to teach me how to do that once and its hard enough to learn without being a clutz. My body just doesn't move like that." She finally turned to give me one of her dazzling smiles, then turned back to watch the dancing. I couldn't help but stare at her. She was entrancing, sitting there watching the dancers in awe. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair wasn't pulled back in the usual ponytail. I figured that Rose had gotten to her when I noticed she was actually wearing some makeup. As always, she looked gorgeous.

My attention shifted when a few of the dancers walked towards us. They grasped hands with Bella and Rose and pulled them into the dancers circle. I laughed as Bella stumbled a bit and grinned when she sent me a pleading look for rescue. I smiled even wider as the women gathered around her, shielding her from my view. She had no hope of rescue from anybody now. Finally after a few long minutes of whispering and giggling, the music started up again and the women pushed Bella and Rose out of their ranks.

Bella hesitated for a moment, then blushing, she finally started to clumsily move her hips. The other women started dancing around her again, and she got more confident. I couldn't look away as she started laughing and copying their movements. I wanted to leap over the desk and pull her into my arms and capture that smile with my lips. I laughed as one of the more elderly villagers grasped her hips and tried to instruct her on the proper way to move. Of course it didn't work with my clumsy Bella. She was many things, but certainly not the most graceful of creatures.

The music ended and Bella hugged the woman who had refused to give up on her and started to make her way back to me. As I watched her smile at the people surrounding her, it finally hit me. Love. Love is what I felt for Bella every time she compassionately held a patient's hand, each time she tripped over her own feet, when she looked at me with her dark brown, laughing eyes. For the first time in my life, I was in love.

"Edward?" Her voice broke into my shocked thoughts and I looked up at her concerned face. "Are you okay?" she asked, obviously worried about the awed expression I knew was on my face.

"Um," I began, my voice croaking a bit, "sure, I'm fine. Uh, I think I'll head back now since we have to get such an early start tomorrow.

"Well, maybe I'll head over with you." She glanced up and waved hesitantly at someone off to my side. _Oh, Jasper. _I fought back a scowl and politely introduced them, watching Bella's expression carefully to see if she showed anything more than politely curiosity over meeting Rose's brother.

To my relief, she shook hands with him, said it was nice to finally meet him, then turned back at me with a concerned look on her face. "Edward? Are you sure everything is okay?"

I knew I had to think fast, before she got really curious. "Ya, everything is fine. I was just worrying about our drive tomorrow and figured I'd head home and get some rest. Driving on these roads is something I don't think I'll ever get used to." _There. That sounded plausible._

"Good idea, I'll come too," she answered. Turning to Jasper, she quickly asked him if he wanted to come too, then went to find Rose to tell her we were leaving. Soon, she was back with Rose in tow and the four of us headed out into the darkness.

Bella, Rose and Jasper kept up a constant chatter on the walk home, talking about the dancing, music and fun that they'd had. I kept quiet, too absorbed in my own thoughts to participate. When we reached the clinic, I walked in and locked it while everyone went ahead, then slowly made my way up the stairs. I was confused, more than I'd ever been in my life. I wasn't sure what to do, whether to tell Bella how I felt, or keep my feelings to myself for awhile. I knew she cared about me, but I didn't know if it was as a friend, or perhaps more. Sometimes I caught her looking at me in ways that could cause me to hope, but I didn't want to read too much into it. We were in a situation where feelings could develop quickly, but also develop because of the situation. I considered this for awhile. Did I love Bella because it was her, or would I have fallen in love with any woman who was working with me in this clinic?

By this time, I was in the apartment, so I bid the others goodnight, since they were all sitting in the living room, not looking inclined to sleep any time soon, then wandered off to my bed and my contemplation. I thought back on all the experiences we'd had together so far, from working side by side over a sick child, to the silly times such as the white water rafting or the spaghetti episode. I played my memories of her smiling down at Latifah, or laughing at some silly antic, and her gentleness with the patients, and I suddenly knew that there was no one else like my Bella. I couldn't imagine my life without her in it, bringing the joy and happiness that I'd never felt until she came into my life. I'd probably begun to fall in love with her from the moment I saw her running crazily through the London Heathrow Airport.

But I wouldn't tell Bella, not yet, not ever unless I was sure she loved me back. I didn't want to ruin the friendship that we already had by confessing feelings she didn't return. It could also make our situation awkward. Most of all, I wanted her to have a choice, to not be forced into considering her feelings for me, or even developing feelings for me. Perhaps if I told her that I loved her, she would realize how alone we truly were out here, and maybe she would convince herself she was in love with me because it was the simplest thing to do. I sighed. I had to keep silent, even if it killed me, and hopefully someday, soon with any luck, Bella would fall in love with me.

By the time she came to bed, I'd been lying awake for hours. Not ready to talk to her, in fear that I would blurt out my feelings, I pretended to sleep, but I couldn't help but wrap her in my arms and cuddle her close as soon as she lay down next to me. Then, finally, the clamoring of my thoughts were silenced, and I was able to fall into a blissful sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Here it is everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to get out. I actually had the chapter finished, decided I just hated it and scrapped it, leaving me to write the whole thing once again. I hope it turned out better this time. It didn't help that my family has been blessed with all sorts of winter maladies the last few months. Well, enjoy! **

BPOV

I glanced over at Edward as he drove. We'd been driving for two hours this morning and something was...off. He was acting strangely, non-communicative, avoiding my questioning glances, and even shying away the few times our skin had comecame into in contact. Finally, I couldn't bear the silence any longer, and I snapped. I had to know what was wrong, because obviously he was upset with me for some reason and I refused to let his sullen attitude ruin our first vacation, especially a place I'd chosen for its peaceful beauty and solitude.

"Are you ever planning on telling me whats wrong, Edward? I know you're mad at me for some reason, and I'd really like to know why," I demanded of him. He didn't so much as even glance in my direction, and I began to seethe. "Edward," I snapped, "are you even listening to me?"

"Huh," he asked, looking at me now, a confused expression on his face. So he really hadn't heard me. That made me feel the tiniest bit better.

"I asked you why you're mad at me," I said again, only to become confused myself when his expression grew even more puzzled.

"Mad at you? Bella, why would you think that?" he whispered so quietly, I could barely hear over the humming of the cars engine.

"Well, for starters, you're barely talking to me. You also jerked back when I touched your hand this morning. Please, just tell me what I did. I can't stand the silence and I really don't want anything to mess up our friendship," I told him.

"No Bella! I'm not mad at you at all. If I have seemed a little distant today it's just because I've been worried about the driving. You know how crazy the traffic can get. I'm also a bit worried about the clinic. I know that it's a really good idea for us to get away and Rose and Jasper are very capable, but I just have this paranoid feeling that the minute we leave, disaster is going to strike," he explained, and though his reasoning was quite plausible, from the way he was avoiding eye contact with me, I sensed he wasn't being quite truthful. I decided to let it drop for at least the moment.

We settled back into our normal habit of talking during the ride. Edward acted like everything was normal, trying hard to keep up the conversation and bantering with me when I made an absurd joke or comment, but I could sense that all was not perfect. He seemed to hold back a little more, to avoid eye contact and to drift off into deep thought whenever there was a lull in our discussion.

12 hours later, just as the sun was starting to set, turning the sky into that blood red color that Africa is so famous for, we were finally pulling off the winding, mountain road to the Sipi Falls campground. I got out, stretched my legs, and breathed a sigh of relief that we'd made it safely and before dark. It had been a long day, and we'd only stopped a few times to fill up on gas and take the requisite bathroom breaks. I'd packed us snacks and lunches to eat, so we hadn't even stopped to find food.

I ran into the main lodge to ask with room we'd be staying in. I greeted the man in charge and he handed me a key to our room and directed me to the smaller of the two buildings. Edward followed me to our room holding the two small overnight bags we'd both packed. I dug through mine to find the flashlight I'd packed before opening the door. The sunlight was rapidly fading and with no windows, I knew the room was going to be dark. The guest accommodations consisted of a buildings made out of bamboo, a few rooms inside each one. The rooms were hotel like, opening up on the outside and ours had one bunkbed pushed up against the sides of the wall. I knew from reading the tourist brochure that some rooms had more than one bunkbed, but we'd been given a smaller room. Each bed was made with a sheet, pillow and extra blanket folded at the bottom. There was no lights, no electricity, and of course no normal bathrooms. There was a pit latrine conveniently provided for our use a short walk away. Somehow I'd managed to avoid using one since coming back, but I'd known it wasn't going to last, and I was dreading the experience.

As I inspected our lodgings, I heard a suspicious scurrying sound coming from the corner of the room. Because of the noises that the animal was making, I figured that it wasn't just a large cockroach, but more likely a rat. I shuddered and turned to Edward. "So, I think I'm choosing the top bunk so the rodents don't get me," I stated casually before tossing my bag on top. The farther I could get from the floor, the safer I would feel. Edward scowled at the corner where the omninous sounds were coming from, but tossed his bag on the bottom bunk.

"If that is a ROUS and it gets me in the night, you know I'm going to blame you," he mentioned, and I stuck my tongue out at him. "I think iIf that isthat's a rat as big as the one in the Princess Bride, I don't think either of us stand a chance," I argued back. "Why don't we go get something to eat at the lodge? I'm starving," I said waiting for him to set his bag down and grab a flashlight out of it for the way back. The sun was rapidly disappearing out of the sky. We traipsed up the hill and both paused to look at the sunset. The sun was setting over Mount Elgon, causing the sky to turn glorious shades of pink and red. The lodge was set overlooking a hilltop of lush green grass leading into an African jungle. There was a wooden swing tied to a tree on the hillside and I made a mental note to try it out the next day. I felt Edward grab my hand and I looked at him a bit shocked. This was the first physical contact he'd made with me all day and I was even more confused. He'd gone from completely avoiding my touch to holding my hand a few hours later. I was really going to have to figure out what was going on.

We watched the sun until it disappeared behind the mountaintop, then turned to go into the lodge. There was a group already in there enjoying a meal. They appeared to be young college students, perhaps on an adventure trip for the summer. They greeted us with friendly waves, then went back to chatting and flirting over their meal.

I ran to the counter and grabbed a menu before sitting down next to Edward at a small table in the corner. After browsing the menu, I opted for the safe bet of spaghetti, figuring that since they catered to tourists, they'd know how to make it right. During my stay in Uganda previously, I'd quickly learned to go for the simple meals, rather than the adventurous. That way, I usually knew what I was getting and didn't starve. Edward proved to be more adventurous than me, and ordered a local dish of matooke, curry, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. Our meal was ready quickly and I was surprised at how good it really was. The spaghetti sauce was different than I was used too, containing additives like carrots and broccoli, but it was delicious. Edward talked me into tasting his and it was actually good as well despite the fact that I usually hated matooke.

After dinner, we visited the pit latrines, which were disgusting as usual, then ran back to our room. Again, we were greeting with a scurrying sound as we walked in and I shuddered, grateful that I'd had the forsight to claim the top bunk. Edward set his flashlight down, giving us some light as we grabbed our pajamas and he went outside so I could get dressed. Since the beds weren't draped with the usual mosquito netting, I put socks on, tucked my pants into my socks and put on a hoodie tucking that into the waistband of my pants. I then pulled the hood on my head and walked out the door. When Edward saw me, he burst out laughing at the ridiculous picture I made.

"Ha ha, you laugh now," I warned him, "but if you don't copy me, you'll regret it in the morning when you are covered in mosquito bites."

"What about your face?" he questioned. "The way I see it, instead of landing on your arms or legs, the mosquitos are just going to land on the only skin available, and that's going to be on your beautiful face," he shot back.

My retort died on my lips as I realized what he'd said. He'd called me beautiful. I didn't know what to make of it, so after a brief moment of shocked silence, I finally answered him. "That's what the blankets are for. You sleep under the blankets and hopefully its enough protection to keep them from buzzing at your ear all night. Besides, this is a good way to protect against bedbugs too, not just mosquitoes," I added.

"I trust you, Bella. I was just giving you a hard time. Wait here while I get ready?" he asked and I nodded and sat on a tree stump that was outside the building to wait for his return. When he walked out, I saw that he'd taken my suggestion to heart and I couldn't help but giggle at the silly picture he made. He grinned at me, but didn't comment further.

After brushing our teeth with some bottled water, we climbed into our beds. Edward left the flashlight on since we both decided we weren't tired enough to go to bed quite yet. It felt good to just relax together at the end of the day rather than fall into bed in exhuastion like we usually did.

"What would you say to us having guests for Christmas," ?" Edward asked at the next lull in conversation. Christmas was still a month away and I hadn't even begun to think about it.

"I guess we could invite Rose and Jasper if they don't have plans to meet their parents somewhere," I suggested. Other than the villagers or Sarah and Hajji, I couldn't think of anyone else who we could invite.

"Hmm...we could invite them too. That's actually a really good idea. But I was referring to my family. They want to come for Christmas, but I told them I'd have to make sure it would be okay with you first," he explained.

"Of course it would be fine, Edward!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I can't wait to meet the parents of the most amazing man I've ever met!" I realized what I'd blurted out and blushed, grateful that he couldn't see me.

There was a pause before he answered and I cringed in embarrassment. "Well, I'm sure they can't wait to meet you either. I've told them so much about you that I'm sure they're coming to see you rather than me. I must warn you that my sister and brother are probably coming, too."

"Oh, that will be great. You've told me so much about them that I can't wait to meet them. Especially if they are like you described," I told him enthusiastically.

"Now don't get too excited about it," he warned. "Alice probably won't think too highly of your fashion sense," he teased, referring to our current outfits.

"Ha, ha, very funny," I told him. I was already planning out how we would fit everyone in our tiny apartment and what we would show them of Uganda, at least in the limited area around the clinic.

"Edward, thank you for checking with me first, although you could have known I wasn't going to mind," I said. I really was grateful that he was considerate enough to consider my feelings before making a decision. I thought once again that I couldn't have asked for a better partner. He did have a tendency to get overprotective, especially since the LRA incident, but that was something that I could easily deal with amidst many much more obnoxious traits he could have had that I'd be stuck with for two years.

"Of course, Bella. It's your home too, you know," he assured me. I smiled at the thought. Our home. Edward turned the flashlight off, and I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I awoke later to a squealing sound that sounded almost feminine and it took me a moment to realize that it was Edward. He'd jumped out of his bed and was scrambling up onto the top bunk with me. "Ouch," he muttered as he stubbed his toe on the ladder. I muffled my laughter. How he had even found the ladder in the darkness was beyond me. He finally reached the top and laid down on top of the blankets next to me, breathing heavily, as if he had just run a race. "Those are not just normal mice or rats, they are ROUS's" he breathed in awe and I couldn't contain my laughter anymore. I peaked out from other the covers and I could just make out his face next to mine.

"You laugh, but you didn't have them crawling all over you down there," he pouted and I giggled.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but I never thought to hear that sound come from your lips is all."

"You would have screamed too if you had felt them. They are at least a foot long, probably bigger, but it was harder to tell. I'm not going back down there, so make room," he advised, tugging at the covers until I loosened my hold and allowed him underneath. Still giggling, I snuggled in next to him as his arms went around me.

"Hopefully we don't fall out of this bed," I commented when I finally got my laughter under control.

"That, or this bed doesn't collapse," he added. I giggled at the thought. "Shhh, Bella. Just go to sleep. You can tease me some more about this in the morning," Edward said, and surprised me by kissing my forehead.

As I was trying to decipher just what that kiss could mean, I heard a scurrying sound on the wall above me. It sounded like tiny little feet running up the walls. I shuddered and moved in closer to Edward, as far away from the wall as I could get, and pulled the blanket up over both of our heads. I was just dozing off when something landed on my leg. It was something big and it was running on the blanket over us! I shrieked and Edward grabbed my hand before I could throw the blanket off of us, leaving us open to whatever was crawling on top.

"I told you so," he laughed and I glared at him incredulously, although he couldn't see my face. How could he laugh at a time like this?

"In any case, we'd be better off huddling under the blankets and facing what's out there. I bet they just climb up the walls. The bamboo isn't exactly smooth," he explained. I finally nodded my head in agreement, but refused to go back to sleep in case the rats had me on their menu, so I started to question Edward more about his family. What they'd like to eat while they were here, and what I could expect. Somehow, I eventually fell asleep.

EPOV  
I held Bella in my arms, savoring her closeness. I felt surpringly rested even after such a chaotic night, and I knew I owed that to Bella. Somehow her chatting had lulled us both to sleep, and either the rats gave up and went away, or we were too tired to notice, neither of us had woken up again. I checked my watch and upon realizing that it was nearly six and the sun would be coming up soon, decided to enjoy the moment awhile more before Bella woke and I had to go back to hiding my true feelings. I was determined that someday we would be together forever, but I was not going to rush her. She needed to come to that conclusion on her own, so I would wait for her to make the first move to change our relationship from friendship to romance.

She stirred in my arms and I smiled as she woke up, then tensed when she realized we'd fallen asleep despite her determination not to. "Are they gone?" she asked, cautiously lifting the blanket off of us to look around. It was still very dark in the room and I wondered if she could even see anything, but she seemed confident as she sat up further and grabbed her flashlight from the ledge near her bed to shine on the floor beneath us. "I think they've retreated for the night," she commented, "but let's not chance it! How about we get ready and go watch the sun rise?"

"Sure. I'll go wait outside," I volunteered and shone the light on the floor once again before jumping down. I grabbed my shoes and put them on before heading out. The sun was just creeping up over the hills and the world outside was hushed and silent. The chirping of the birds and monkeys from the night before had dwindled and all was peaceful and calm. I turned as Bella walked out and raised my eyebrows at the sight of her. She was carrying the same hooded sweatshirt she'd worn the night before and was wearing a navy blue swimming suit with some jeans. It wasn't a showy suit, but in fact it was only a plain looking one piece, almost plain looking, but she still took my breath away. On her feet were the simple chaco sandals I'd gotten used to her wearing. She was stunning.

Seeing me eyeing her outfit, she hurriedly put her sweatshirt on. "I thought that it might be fun to play under the water," she explained, blushing slightly. I nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence and walked past her to go change my own clothes. "Remember to wear good hiking sandals or shoes," she reminded me before I shut the door.

I threw one some jeans and a t-shirt, opting for my tennis shoes since they were really the only shoes I had suitable for hiking. I made a mental note to ask Alice to buy me a pair of chacos like Bella's and bring them over when they came for Christmas. I checked for any forgotten items and grabbed our bags to store in the car during the day, safe from exploring rodents. As I walked outside, I noticed Bella was walking up toward the lodge. I called to her to wait, and she paused while I ran to the car and threw the bags in before catching up to her.

"Where are you headed?" I asked curiously, knowing the lodge wasn't open yet.

"I'm going to go swing. Want to come?" she asked and when I nodded she started running towards it. We reached the swing at the same time and Bella jumped on. "How about we take turns?" she suggested. "First you push me, then I'll push you." I wasn't about to let her push me on a swing, but I didn't let her know that. I nodded and began to gently push the swing higher and higher. It was an older swing, and I didn't dare push it too high lest Bella take a tumble down the hill, but I did enjoy hearing her laughter.

"Your turn," she said and when the swing slowed enough jumped off. Her momentum carried her farther than either of us expected and she ended up sliding partway down the hill. I ran to her, worried that she would be hurt, but she only laughed. "I feel like a little kid again!" I smiled at her enthusiasm. She grabbed my hand and started to pull me up the hill to the swing telling me that it was my turn.

"Bella, wait!" I laughed. "I'm not going to let you push me."

"You have to swing, though. I mean, how many people can say that they've swung on a Ugandan mountainside," she insisted.

"Probably everyone who's visited here over the years," I reasoned. She crossed her arms and glared at me.

"Edward Cullen! You will sit on that swing and enjoy it even if I have to force you," Bella said menacingly and I found myself backing up as she advanced on me. I felt the back of my legs hit the wooden swing and sat down as she laughingly grabbed the rope on either side. "That's a good boy," she smirked leaning down to touch my nose with hers and turned to walk away. I had my feet planted on the ground to keep the swing from moving forward, but as she walked away, I picked my feet up. The swing carried me forward and knocked into her, causing her to fall backwards, right into my lap. Just where I wanted her. She shrieked, surprised, but relaxed into my arms quickly.

"I said I wouldn't let you push me, not that I didn't want to swing," I told her. "How about we both swing together?" I stopped the swing so we could get more comfortable and she turned sideways with her legs across mine and her arm around my neck so I could hold the rope. She stopped smiling and her brown eyes met mine. I gazed into them, oblivious to the world around me. I had to kiss her. I coudln't go another minute without feeling her lips under mine. Just as I was leaning in, I heard laughter. The group from the night before was coming up over the hill. Bella looked away and I knew the moment was lost. We continued to sit on the swing together, swinging gently back and forth, both quiet as we watched the sun rise.

After breakfast, we started our hike. The lodge owners had given us a crudely drawn map to mark our trail, and I only hoped that we woudln't get lost. Bella seemed confident, though so I decided to follow her lead. We walked down the steep trail into the canyon. I was enthralled by all the different plant life I'd never seen before. Bella stopped and pointed out a chameleon lounging on a branch. I got out my camera to take a picture. I hadn't been the best at sending pictures home to my family or documenting my time here, but I was determined that was going to change. I was, at the very least, going to get as many pictures of Bella as I could.

As we walked deeper into the surrounding jungle, the terrain got muddier and the sunlight faded away beneath the trees. We fought our way through the swamplike vegetation until we were climbing again, this time, a steep incline upwards. I held my breath as Bella fought for footing as she scaled a small cliff and let out a sigh of relief as she reached the top. When I pulled myself over the cliff, I saw that we'd come to a cluster of small caves. Bella was already scrambling into one, motioning for me to follow. "I think these go pretty deep inside the mountain, but I have to at least walk in the entrance," she announced.

"Why?" I asked her curiously. It wasn't as if no one had ever been in these caves before since they were on the trail.

"Don't you know, Edward?" she asked, her eyes wide as she turned to face me.

"Know what?" I was a bit exasperated now.

"These caves are famous! Haven't you ever read the book **The Hot Zone**? It's also been featured in all kinds of scientific journals!" she said excitedly and I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I realized that I hadn't been fully listening as she'd chattered on and on in the car the day before about Sipi Falls and the mountain it was located on. I briefly had heard her call it Mount Elgon and it was now all coming back to me.

"Bella! We are not going into those caves. I really don't want to be trying to save your life from some virus that know one knows how to kill," I said grabbing her hand and trying to stop her from going further in.

"Relax, Edward," she admonished. "It's not like I'm going to get the Marburg Virus from walking in a cave for a second. That guy was sleeping in them and besides, he was on the Kenyan side. They still don't know where he got it anyway," she said glibly and I felt my temper rising.

"Bella. You know as well as I do that this is not something to joke about or mess around with." I grabbed her hand and tried to pull her out as she resisted.

"Edward, listen to me. You're overreacting. I know you care and all, and its very sweet, but really, what are the chances of us getting something like that just by walking in and taking a picture and leaving? That's all I'm asking." I could tell that she was annoyed with me and I took a deep breath, finally conceding.

"Okay, but that's all Bella," I told her and she nodded. We took a few pictures of both of us inside the caves and even one of us together using the timer on my camera, and then were back on the trail. I could tell she was still a bit upset with me as we walked. She was quieter than usual and wouldn't look at me. I sighed. "Bella, I'm sorry for acting like that back there. I know I was out of line, but it just scared me, thinking of you with being sick with something so dangerous and unpredicatable. I just want you to be safe," I explained and her face softened as she stopped and looked up at me.

"I know, Edward and I understand. I love that you care about me the way you do, and try to take care of me, and if I ever am taking a big chance and need some sense knocked into me, then feel free. But you can trust me to make good decisions and not put myself in danger." She reached for my hand and all was right with the world again.

"I'll try," I told her, "but its really hard for me to watch you take chances with your life. It has become one of the most precious things in the world to me," I added. She looked at me intensely for a long moment, probably trying to decipher what I meant by that, but I just shrugged and urged her to start walking again. "Let's go see these beautiful water falls firsthand." There were three separate falls in all. The biggest one, and the farthest away, is what we could see from the lodge. That was the one I was most looking forward too.

The rest of our hike passed pleasantly. At one point, we ran into a bunch of local children and women washing clothes at the river. They all had buckets and rags for washing and had gathered at a wide open, calmer part where the river wasn't quite as fierce. They all posed with us for pictures and the children were very fascinated with our white skin and especially my color of hair. They were climbing all over me until Bella saved me by teaching them how to play Red Rover. We played at the riverbank for quite awhile with the kids before we continued on.

The first two falls were spectacular, as promised, but it was the largest which took my breath away. The water seemed to pour directly out of the sky, hitting the rocks below and sending a spray of water shooting outwards. The cliffs rose on three sides around us as we stood gazing up at the water, causing us to be in the shadows. A slight mist was caused by the downpour of water and sparkling rainbows were reflected all around us. It was a spectacular place, made even better because I was sharing it with Bella. She was standing next to me in awe and had taken my hand.

She grinned at me and untied the sweater from around her waist. She'd long ago taken it off and I'd been glad I insisted on us wearing sunblock before we'd left. She sat on a large boulder and rolled up her pant legs. "C'mon Edward! Lets go play in the water," she shouted stepping carefully up to the water and holding out her hand. She laughed in pleasure as it struck her fingers, spraying outward and splashing me. "It's really not that cold," she stated before stepping under the stream and raising her hands up to the sky.

I was in awe. She looked like a goddess standing there in this beautiful environment and I couldn't help myself anymore. I had to touch her, experience our surroundings next to her, through her. I discarded my t-shirt, socks and shoes, and walked under the water with her. She stepped back to give me room and smiled in complete joy at me. I had to get closer to her, feel her skin beneath mine. I wrapped my arms around her and drew her close, but it still wasn't enough. I had to taste her. I couldn't wait another minute. I leaned in, watching her closely for her reaction. Her eyes widened when she realized what was happening, but she didn't draw back. She leaned in towards me as well, her eyes fluttering closed as we drew closer. I knew then that she wanted this as much as I did.

Our lips met and all thoughts flew from me. I needed this woman like I needed air. I gathered her closer, deepening the kiss as her hands came up and she began to run her fingers through my hair. I tried to convey the emotions I was feeling, the love I felt for her into our kiss, wanting it to last forever. Time froze as we stood under a tropical water fall sharing our first kiss. Our first of what I hoped would be many, many kisses throughout our lifetime together.

* * *

Just a few notes. I have been to Sipi Falls, Uganda and the rat story actually happened to me. It was definitely not the most pleasant part of my existence so far. Also, Sipi Falls and where Edward and Bella live is actually a much farther drive than 12 hours, and I just couldn't make it work, which was part of my problem, so I changed it so its not technically accurate there, but I hope that everyone will forgive me!


End file.
